July 2010 Print
Has anyone ever stopped you in the hall, engaged you in a casual conversation over lunch or appeared at your door with a 'quick question' that really wasn't all that quick to answer? Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan, in their article "Ways to Avoid Coaching Traps," say that answering a teacher's question immediately can "make the question seem trivial and the teacher feel stupid." In an effort to be truly helpful, we often fall into the trap of giving a quick response. This action does not always encourage the collaboration so vital to a trusting, reciprocal relationship instructional coaches work so hard to establish.

So how should you react in such a situation? Click here to find out!

Excerpted from this month's mentor blog entitled: "Coaching and the Art of Answering" by IU15 PIIC Mentor Nancy Neusbaum.