Inga Omondi

By Inga Omondi
Instructional Coach, Akron Elementary School

“No matter how well trained people are, few can sustain their best performance on their own. That’s where coaching comes in.” — Atul Gawande

If you could peek into any Tippecanoe Valley classroom where an instructional coach is spending some time, you might see her sitting by a student and conferring with him about his learning. Later on, you may see her with a group of teachers poring over student data and making decisions about instruction to meet their students’ needs. Then again, you may see her in front of the class teaching a mini lesson about how writers find the heart of the story and tell it bit by bit.

As you can see, instructional coaches wear a variety of “hats” – collaborating, coaching and consulting. In Heather Rader’s book, “Side by Side,” she describes the job as, “no longer teachers, and not administrators, they are challenged to create an identity with meaning and purpose.” The best way for coaches to create meaning and purpose is to focus on core beliefs.

TVSC instructional coaches have two core beliefs:

Every Teacher Deserves a Coach

The profession of teaching is a job greater than any one person can ever do alone. Like students, teachers also have a variety of needs within the area of professional development. It’s the job of instructional coaches to collaborate with teachers and help them meet their professional goals, whether through data use, management, resource gathering, modeling and, at times, therapy.

Belief in the Power of “Yet”

Carol Dweck, one of the leading researchers in the area of motivation, believes that in order to grow in all aspects of life, one should develop a growth mindset. This is especially true when faced with challenges and the opportunity to grow and develop ourselves. Instructional coaches must believe that all teachers have the ability to grow as both teachers and leaders within the school setting. The art of coaching comes from knowing when to push, when to support and when to let go.

Through their roles, Tippecanoe Valley’s instructional coaches continue to develop a joy for teaching, enthusiasm for learning and a heart for service.

“Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It’s the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill

Three instructional coaches serve the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation. Inga Omondi works with teachers in grades K-5 at Akron Elementary School while Patti Newman serves in a similar capacity at Mentone Elementary School. Staci Revere is the Instructional Coach for grades 6-12 at Tippecanoe Valley Middle School and Tippecanoe Valley High School.