Weekly Work Calendar

For literacy and reading coaches, keeping plan books in the same way as classroom teachers is not conducive to their work. The work of coaches is complicated and includes a variety of tasks at various levels including working at the classroom, school, district, and sometimes the state level. Coaches work hard to negotiate their varied practices to meet the needs of all individuals with whom they are working. The work of coaches also includes preparing materials, staying abreast on current research, and preparing larger scale professional development opportunities.

With these varied responsibilities, keeping track of this type of work would seem difficult. Instead of traditional plan books, coaches can keep weekly calendars outlining the type of coaching work they have completed. The weekly calendar becomes a record of the work completed during the week, a place to record next steps, and a way to keep track of reflections.

A coach’s weekly calendar is laid out to encompass one week’s worth of coaching interactions. The top is a space for a coach to record the individual interactions he or she has with teachers. The boxes in this section ask for the name of the teacher, school, grade level, coaching method, purpose and next steps. This information gives a snapshot of the coaching event or interaction and enough information for a coach to be reflective on that work with the teacher. Each day of the week has three boxes set aside for recording this information. (This section usually is used to record educational discussions, demonstration lessons, conferences, etc). A key is located at the bottom of the page as a shorthand way to code each type of interaction.