The Value of Coaching to Coordinators-
From Teacher to Coach.
The caterpillar must change in order to become the beautiful butterfly. ELP
Coordinators experienced similar transformations. The two-year experience
has brought opportunities for professional and personal growth. Serving
as a teacher has nurtured and revitalized my self-esteem and confidence as
a professional. With so many opportunities to interact with teachers and
children, it has unearthed a love for teaching in the early grades. My previous
teaching experiences placed me at the heart of adolescent literacy, while I
have always had the desire for teaching early grades. The project has provided
me with the opportunity to impact the teachers of the early grades and to
interact with those precious little ones, our students. I love the coaching
act! My emotional intelligence has grown by leaps and bounds and now I
have a greater appreciation for the human element within the professional
realm. Through coaching, I have become a listener, a researcher and a literacy
expert, each role serving a different need. The small nine-member team of
the St. Lucia ELP Coordinators is a close-knit family. Our differences and our
strengths complement each other and make us a very formidable team.
Jennifer Raphael,
St. Lucia
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