Closing one door and opening another….from teacher to literacy coach

Seven years ago, I made the decision to return back to the classroom to teach 5th grade and leave my role as the literacy coach (our district refers to it as a language arts consultant).  I was the literacy coach between two schools in our district for three years before pleading to return back to the classroom to put all of my new learning into practice.  I wanted to implement first-hand everything I learned through professional development, reflecting on best practices of literacy instruction, and coaching teachers in their classrooms.  Prior to becoming a literacy coach, I was a 4th grade teacher so I was extremely lucky to stay in the same school and teach 5th grade when I returned to the classroom.

This spring, I was asked to return back to the literacy coach position, but this time being able to stay in my home school and not have to balance my time between two schools as I did in the past.  After making my pros/cons list and reflecting on the opportunity, I decided to accept the offer!

This fall, I will be a literacy coach at my school and will have the pleasure of working with the wonderful staff that have been my "second family" for the past 15 years in my teaching career.  Although this change is bittersweet because I absolutely love being a classroom teacher, I am excited to embark on this new opportunity to learn with my colleagues by working alongside them in their classrooms to help students grow as readers and writers! As many of you know, my passion is literacy so I will be able to delve into this passion and put all my focus and energy into spreading my enthusiasm amongst my colleagues and students throughout grades K-6.  As I write this post, I am in the process of setting up my new literacy room to share with my colleagues and students! I am working hard to create an inviting space for both teachers and students so they will feel welcome to peruse, borrow, and enjoy all the resources available to them….of course lots of books too!         

Stay tuned to hear more over the coming weeks about my transition to becoming a literacy coach (again)! :)