How to Make Coaching Work — Every Time, With Every Teacher

When I first started teaching, I was fortunate.

I got paired with two people who made a real difference in my development: a math coach and my mentor teacher.

Neither had a formal coaching framework. They didn’t have an evidence-informed approach or shared language for what “good” looked like. Still, they helped me grow – not because the system supported it, but because they personally compensated for the system’s absence.

And that’s the truth I’ve learned since:

Most coaching fails – not because people don’t care, but because they don’t have the training, the infrastructure, or the scaffold to do it well.

Great coaching isn’t a personality trait. It’s not charisma. It’s not “having good instincts.”

The support I received worked because, even informally, it had elements that real coaching requires:

It was concrete. Feedback linked directly to real classroom evidence, not a random tip or trick.
It was iterative. Each interaction connected to the last—there was a throughline.
It was responsive. Strengths were acknowledged, and next steps were clear.
It was modeled. I wasn’t just told what to do — I was shown what it could look like.
It built momentum. Progress was visible, so improvement became self-reinforcing.

That’s exactly why I believe so deeply in Steplab. Coaching shouldn’t rely on luck. Instructional leaders shouldn’t have to invent their own systems. Teachers shouldn’t depend on whether they “get a good coach this year.” A platform like Steplab provides the structure, language, and training that makes coaching replicable, scalable, and effective.

I’m excited to announce that I will be leading a one-day Instructional Coaching Intensive in New York City.

📍 Location: FLACS Middle School — 316 East 165th Street, Bronx, NY 10456

📅 Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

🕒 Time: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM

💵 Cost: $390 per delegate (coffee, pastries, and lunch included)

This intensive is designed for instructional leaders, mentors, coordinators, and administrators who want to move beyond weak coaching models towards high-precision, evidence-based coaching that can actually shift instruction across classrooms.

You’ll walk away with: