Written by Chloe Hind – SCITT Trainee
I find it hard sometimes to speak in a crowd
So I thought I’d write a poem and not say it too loud,
About how Coaching in Schools has affected me
Both from a personal sense and professionally
A difference it’s made to me personally
Was to break down my goals, make them clearer to see
By making them smaller it gave me the chance
To succeed in my goal of returning to dance
Within my classroom, I’d hope you’d agree
It has made me frame criticism constructively
Like could you make that paintbrush any wetter?!
Or how could we make this even better?
When I think about how I use more skills in my role
I think about the fast model and setting a goal
The students in my class will see, hear and feel
To get around obstacles and make their goal real
When thinking about changes I’ve made as a coach
I have to go back to the correct approach
Setting realistic goals they can see in pen
Make sure they’re committed on the scale at 10
Again something that’s definitely caused me to change
Is learning to be concise and paraphrase
If I use their own words and repeat right back
Laser their language make it short and snap
One change I’ve made from another stance
Has been to give others time and not just pounce
It has made me step back and maybe think twice
I don’t guess words; I listen and be nice
A difference I made for one coachee
Was to get them from home to the first tee
His goal was to golf but the first little step
Was to search driving ranges a goal which he kept
I encouraged a little and listened a lot
We made mind maps with a pen to jot
Any suggestions that could help with his plan
Scrumpled up obstacles in the palm of his hand
It made him less stressed and have motivation
To move on to more goals without hesitation
His confidence grew and he was excited to tell me
That he’d made it to a course and was hitting par 3
Another coachee I could see the difference
In her attitude towards her own appearance
She started off with a mindset that she wasn’t healthy
And by the end of six sessions, she felt more happy
We met for 20 mins on a coffee break
To catch up about mini steps that she would take
She had plenty of ideas in her head that she’d store
And I’d ask her if she could just think of just one more
She again made small little changes
Which seemed manageable in chunks and didn’t take ages
She kept to her goals and was eating healthier
She just realised her goals needed to be stealthier
To sum up the programme I think I would say
That I can see benefits in day to day
Within my teaching and even at home
It helps focus the mind and get in the zone
In a nutshell, this programme has been a benefit
The seven secrets are useful and have become a habit
And even when someone’s goals seem slightly odd
I find it best to pause, smile and politely nod
