From Teacher to Coach to Certified Facilitator
When was the last time you took a professional development course that felt deeply personal? For our course participants, the answer is likely “my last Graydin course”. We’re fortunate to witness extraordinary growth on a regular basis as teachers turn into coaches and later, into confident facilitators. The journey is not linear—more of a squiggly line—but every twist and turn is worth it. One such journey belongs to Kevin Magill from Reading Blue Coat School, whose experience reflects the profound transformation this path can provide.
Kevin participated in his first coaching course in May 2023, expressing afterward that he had “found his people”. Since then, Kevin has become a Certified Start With Heart Facilitator, and on this path, facilitated Graydin’s four-hour workshop, BE Curious (the second of eight parts in our wellbeing course called The BE). His experience underscores the purpose of The BE: to go beyond traditional teaching and foster wellbeing and resilience in facilitators and students, creating ripples of positive change.
With years of teaching experience, Kevin noticed a shift whilst facilitating The BE workshop ‘as coach’. It was “not perfect,” he admits, but perhaps that was the beauty of it — there was authenticity in every moment. For Kevin, the experience was one of planting seeds, both in his students and himself. He saw himself becoming “a coach, rather than a teacher with some coaching training,” a powerful distinction that speaks to the heart of our mission here at Graydin. Kevin described the experience as one of planting seeds for growth. He felt a change in himself, a deepened sense of connection to the values of coaching, and a realisation of how impactful this work can be.
The BE’s 24-hour curriculum helps students build self-awareness, resilience, and empathy from an early age. Structured in six parts—BE Aware, BE Curious, BE Fulfilled, BE Connected, BE Accountable, and BE Effective—the course nurtures essential life skills, guiding students toward self-understanding, mindful curiosity, values-based decisions, strong relationships and much more. What we love most about The BE is how it creates a safe space for participants to reflect on what truly matters.
Kevin’s journey from teacher to coach illustrates the profound growth that happens when facilitators fully embrace the role of coach. Facilitating The BE involves guiding students on a path of personal discovery, which often transforms the facilitator as well. It requires introspection, curiosity and empathy—qualities at the heart of The BE.
In Kevin’s words, he and others have found ‘gifts’ in this journey—not just new skills, but a renewed sense of self and purpose. As educators become coaches and for some, Certified Facilitators, they experience a new perspective on what it means to guide others through a deeply meaningful learning experience rather than ‘teach’ in a traditional sense.