What I Learned My First Year As An Instructional Coach (That Experience Taught Me)

Total reading time: 4 mins 

My first year as an instructional coach was enlightening and humbling. It was such an honor to support brand-new teachers in developing their craft, navigating the first year challenges, and watching them grow in confidence and competence. I arrived with a stack of training materials, years of instructional expertise, and the belief that I was fully prepared to hit the ground running.

Spoiler alert: I wasn’t.

I quickly learned that facilitating adult learning is very different from teaching students. I learned that coaching isn’t just about sharing strategies or modeling lessons, it’s about understanding how core human needs shape learning, growth, and change.It's about seeing each teacher as a whole person with their own fears, hopes, and story. It’s about creating conditions that cultivate trust, connections, psychological safety, and growth so teachers can be empowered to do their best work with students.

That first year taught me lessons that reshaped my coaching approach and still guide my work today. Here are some of the most significant lessons that I learned:

Your Title Won’t Make You Influential, Your Compassion Will

Influence isn’t gained through titles or job descriptions, it comes through showing people that you care about them, you want to support them, and you are invested in their success as a whole person, not just their performance.

Coaching is Human Work

At its core, coaching is about human transformation, not just skill development. You’re working with human beings with identities, insecurities, dreams, and beliefs about teaching and learning. Every "instructional" challenge has a human layer underneath. The technical work of coaching is impactful when the human work has been done first. 

Let Go of “That’s Not the Way I Would Do It…” 

Coaching isn’t about replicating your approach. Assuming there’s only one “right way” limits teachers’ growth and undermines trust. Instead of defaulting to your own preferences, observe, inquire, and support them in finding strategies that work for their style and students.

There’s No Coaching Without Trust

Teachers are more likely to take risks and try new approaches to grow their practice when they feel safe and valued. With trust, teachers will give you permission to guide them, challenge them, and even stretch them beyond their comfort zones, because they believe you are invested in their success. 

Relationships Before Results

Coaching that builds impact is powered by human connection. Before pushing for goals and outcomes, adults need to know you care about their success and are in their corner. By investing in relationship-building, showing curiosity about each teacher’s story, and acknowledging their challenges and victories, you create fertile ground for growth.

People Don’t Resist Change, They Resist Loss

Resistance often masks fear: fear of losing control, confidence, time, comfort, or identity. Understanding what adult learners fear losing when facing change is essential to support their growth. Meeting those fears with empathy instead of counter resistance helps to reframe change not as a threat but as an opportunity for learning and growth. 

Accountability Without Humanity Leads to Mutiny

In education, accountability is part of our way of work to monitor teaching effectiveness and student learning. However, accountability without empathy promotes mistrust and resistance. The key is to balance high expectations with support so people feel equipped and empowered to embrace challenges and try new approaches. 

Feedback Is a Gift…When Delivered with Honesty and Empathy

Feedback is a tool for reflection and development, not judgment. Feedback is best when delivered with honesty, empathy, and curiosity. It should be framed in a way that invites self-reflection and dialogue so that it fuels growth, not resistance and defensiveness.

What lessons shaped your coaching journey and practice? Tag me with your story on Instagram @transcendlearningconsulting. I look forward to seeing your posts!

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