I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all had those days when everything just seems to go wrong. That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to the days where everything goes right.
Walking into the coaching room at Richmond High always puts me in a good mood. We are in a portable with lots of windows and plenty of space for all the coaches, students, and resource materials. The one drawback is that it takes about seven minutes to walk from the coaching room to the classroom – and the walk is mostly outside. Optimistically, I like to think of it as a bit of added exercise. That day in November, however, it was grey and overcast, so I set out my extra umbrellas, just in case.
The coaches arrived ready to coach, so we trekked to the classroom. As we stood in front of the class ready to greet the students, the morning announcements began. I’m usually impatient during the announcements, worrying about the time they are taking away from coaching – those two minutes are precious! But on this morning, I was in for a surprise. My ears perked up when the student reading the announcements said, “And if you see the WriterCoaches walking through the halls with their students, smile and say hello.” A WCC shout-out for everyone to hear: a positive sign!
There was only a light mist falling when we walked the students back to the coaching room, but then the rain began in earnest. It was blowing sideways and falling so hard that it sounded like the percussion session of the high school band was having a free-for-all. But then – because it was that kind of day – when it was time to switch students (our next 15 minutes of outdoor “exercise”), the rain changed to a soft sprinkle.
But the best was yet to come. Once in a great while, we have a student who is reluctant to work with a coach. Sometimes we negotiate a shorter coaching time but usually we can convince him or her to join us for the one-on-one writing attention. But this was not the case for one student. Tasha* was neither shy nor rude, but she refused to leave the classroom to work with a coach. I had tried several strategies over the previous coaching sessions, but hadn’t had any luck.
This day was different. Writing coach Lisa was scheduled to work with Tasha, and since Lisa was also working with Tasha’s friend, she asked if she could bring them both to the coaching room at the same time. She sat with Tasha first; they made good progress starting the assignment. We then had Tasha work independently in the coaching room while Lisa worked with her second student. When Lisa checked in with Tasha, she had completed three pages of writing! Not only that, Tasha was so excited about her accomplishment that she wanted to make sure she had a chance to turn in her work directly to her teacher. Needless to say, there were lots of happy people at the end of the period: me, Lisa, the teacher, and – most importantly – Tasha.
There was a lovely coda to the day. After coaching, I went to the lunch area with a few coaches for salads and lemonade made fresh from the school garden and sold, for just $1, by the Agriculture Club. It was there that I ran into Assistant Principal Kleiman. When I asked him if he knew Tasha, it was clear that he did. I told him about the three pages she had written and her pride in that accomplishment, and he was practically speechless. “Wow!” was all he could manage.
Wow, indeed!
Karen LarsonSite Coordinator at Richmond High School and Fremont High School (Oakland)
December 30, 2012
* Student names have been changed.