Why I've never being a good netball coach

 I've been trying to do some reading on being a good 'coach'.  Not a sports coach, but a learning coach.  Although, now that I've started to learn about it, the two are quite similar, well at the higher end of sport coaching anyway, when players have the skill sets and conditioning as top athletes, and need someone to work with them to unlock their power! 

I hate sport coaching.  Ive coached netball for years, and I'm no good.  I know netball!  I know top level netball!  I know how to be a team player! But I don't know how to get the best out of my own team, apart from try to 'tell them' what to do and show them how to do it.  Is that my first problem.......trying to get them to play through my eyes, through my strategies, through my game-plan?  I mean, I played many seasons of top level netball, so I must know it all........ right?

And there lies my first real understanding of why my current SLT is not as successful, high functioning and successful as it could and should be.  I am the Principal, and I must have all the answers, and I must drive change.  I've been put in this position, with this title, by people who trust I can do this.  Don't get me wrong.  I have tried really hard to work with staff, to work with my SLT and to build a strong connection with all.  For the most part, I think I've been successful.  But why is change not embedded and sustainable?

Now granted, I am in my first principalship, and I am also only 3 1/2 years into this job.  I've had to make some changes, I've had to drive some big initiatives, and I've had to try and build positivity, trust and engagement with staff and community. I think I have done this. The roll has grown each year and we have made great inroads into curriculum development.  The staff now engage with each other in positive ways. We have worked hard on building the culture of the school and to support student and teacher agency.   

But this year has been tough.  Its been a roller-coaster of emotions and there have been some big issues to deal with.  'Behaviour' has been a word that staff and parents have pushed about this year.  'Consequences' and 'expectations' and two others.  In my eyes, up until now, I have been annoyed that our systems and structures around behaviour have fallen away, have not been fully embraced by staff and the issues have been flying up to SLT.  In a small community, this can be a catalyst for disaster - rumours spread like wildfire. Why have we faltered, and why has what we were attempting to do not continued this year as well.  

As a Principal you always see and hear the negative (which as usual is only 5-10% of whats happening here at school) and often forget to see the positive.  Staff also often see the negative and I've spent much of this year promoting the good things happening - if nothing else than to remind me too!  And there have been some amazing things happen. Roll growth has meant we have all had to readjust and try and work collectively to deal with certain issues that were never an issue before - have we done this well.................... no, not really.  

So, all in all, I need to ask the question, why has this year not gone as smoothly as first anticipated. Many hours had been put in to set up the school strategic plan, and our SLT portfolios.  However, most of those hours had been by me.  I tried to engage and encourage staff buy-in and most importantly SLT support.  And I thought for the majority it was there.  Yet, in hindsight, all along I was not building our collective capacity, and I was not allowing others to take ownership.  I was not being a coach.  I was being a 'doer'.  

So now what....... learn to 'coach' more by starting off building trust and respect within my SLT.  I have asked for a hui in which we firstly unpack the ERO report, and then I have given them a recommended reading 'Cultural Relations for responsive pedagogy' (see previous post) for them to read and reflect upon, bringing back to the table how this could relate to and influence us as a team.  

Exciting times ahead...................... I hope.