The Potential of Coaching
Guest Post by Jane Czarny
Jane Czarny is a life-long learner who enjoys journeying through the worlds of education, arts administration, parenting, writing, volunteering and chaplaincy.
It has been my joy and honour to work in education for more than thirty years, with a focus on kinesthetic and arts learning at all grade levels. Yes—I have taught Kindergarten (those teachers deserve daily medals) right up to High School graduates. No matter what their grade level, every child matters, deserving to be served with whole heart.
As teachers, we know this. It’s the reason why we entered this vocation.
However, it’s regrettably easy to forget this prime motivation. We get bogged down with curriculum, assessment and a huge range of etceteras including addressing needs of colleagues, working with administration, meetings, checking off all the boxes. Now we have the added stress of COVID-19 protocols. It’s exhausting. We are tired. Building relationships with each and every student is challenging. Starting from the heart doesn’t always happen.
However, authentic, emotional connections are the most vital way to feel buoyed against personal stressors while remaining in tune with your students. Not only that, but if we can contribute to a positive school culture—one where everyone treats everyone with respect—it makes daily life in a school so much brighter. You can be “that teacher”. You know—the one everyone loves and admires. The one who emanates wisdom and heart.
That’s where coaching comes into play.
This past summer, I took Graydin’s Foundational Coaching Course,The Anatomy. The direct, honest simplicity of the coaching methodology reminded me of my passion for education—why I became a teacher in the first place. You are never too old a dog to learn new tricks, or to remember key concepts that you are already aware of, but don’t always apply. How to meet people right where they are and ask effective questions to encourage their growth. How to genuinely explore in partnership. How to support others as they shift their lens in order to reframe their learning. The expertise you learn on a Graydin course helps re-establish heart connections—creating pathways for engagement with your students— renewing the vitality of the teacher-student relationship in a beautiful way.
I was grateful to be able to experience this course with my own children, Tess and Toby, who are in University at the moment. Tess is studying to become a teacher and I thought it would be helpful for her education. Toby is always keen to explore new methods of honest and thoughtful communication. The real gift is that, even though our family is already quite respectful, we learned a new language of empathy. It was important for us to truly comprehend one another’s values and to effectively listen to one another. There were many “AHA” moments! We didn’t stop at the end of the course, but continue to use Graydin’s clear coaching concepts and exercises as a framework for understanding. We are now a family of coaches, and I am so grateful.
Because the course was such a gift for me as a life-long learner, I am excited to join Graydin’s Advanced Coaching Course, The Journey. I have no doubt that Graydin will again provide me with the skills I require to be the best possible educator, and human being, that I can be.
Just as it doesn’t matter what age or level of your students, it also doesn’t matter where you are on your journey as an educator: the principles of coaching will revitalize you, at a time when we all need that kind of support to rejuvenate our hearts.
So whether you need to kick-start your heart with your kids at home, or at school, trust coaching will provide you with the kinds of tools you need to move through life with an informed, beautiful heart lens.
IN This POST...
The Anatomy is Graydin’s Foundational Coaching Course, designed to ignite new ways of being, communicating and leading in teachers, senior leaders and students.