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Tackling resistance

Turn what could be a very bad day into a very good opportunity

By Annemarie B. Jay
December 2009
The time-honored children’s story Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Viorst, 1972) is a prime example of someone having the kind of day we’d all like to avoid. Having a bad day, an Alexander day, can happen to anyone — even a dedicated literacy coach. An important component of coaching is building collaborative working relationships between the coach and teachers (Burkins, 2007; Knight, 2007; Toll, 2007). When views about instructional practices are similar, positive relationships may develop quickly, but what happens when resistance is stronger than identifiable differences? A coach may find herself experiencing an Alexander day with a noncompliant teacher. There are many elements critical to creating an effective coach-teacher relationship. A school should have a shared vision for a

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References

Bukowiecki, E.M. (2007, August). The many roles of the literacy coach. Paper presented at the 15th European Conference on Reading, Berlin, Germany.

Burkins, J.M. (2007). Coaching for balance: How to meet the challenges of literacy coaching. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Casey, K. (2006). Literacy coaching: The essentials. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Feger, S., Woleck, K., & Hickman, P. (2004). How to develop a coaching eye. JSD, 25(2), 14-18.

Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Jay, A.B. & Strong, M.W. (2008). A guide to literacy coaching: Helping teachers increase student achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

McKenna, M.C. & Walpole, S. (2008). The literacy coaching challenge: Models and methods for grades K-8. New York: Guilford Press.

Toll, C.A. (2005). The literacy coach’s survival guide: Essential questions and practical answers. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Toll, C.A. (2007). Lenses on literacy coaching: Conceptualizations, functions, and outcomes. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.

Viorst, J. (1972). Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. New York: Simon & Schuster.

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