Leading and Coaching Teaching Professionals

Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud · Sep 10, 2026 · 15m

If I believe the person sitting across from me is a professional, my coaching job can't simply be to get that person to do what I've decided is best. I need to engage their thinking which means deep listening on my part. Treating someone as a professional isn't simply something we say. Teachers experience whether we see them as professionals through the conditions we create and the ways we interact with them. If we want our students to be taught by professionals who exercise professional judgment, our leadership and coaching need to continually develop that judgment and create the conditions…