Having worked as a teacher and as a relationship system coach, I see a lot of similarities between the two professions.
A successful teacher is also a good coach, who not only can see his or her student’s potential, but is skilled to bring it out into the open so the student can see and trust it as well. A successful coach is also a good teacher, who can explain new tools and concepts, so his or her clients learn to apply them by themselves.
What is crucial for both professions is to be able to establish relationships of trust, credibility, and mutual respect. It is important to take the time to build positive relationships with students and or clients.
Teachers can forget the relationship aspect of their work due to pressure put on them by outside expectations to cover the given academic material. And yet building positive relationships is like building the foundation of your home. Once a positive relationship is established, everything else will fall easily into place. Building such relationships is not a one time job. It is more like tending a garden, which asks for regular care. Another important aspect is to be able to recognize what is already working and build from there. It doesn’t serve any one to be trapped in mechanisms that are problem oriented instead of solution oriented. When we run into serious challenges with students or parents, we need to acknowledge what is not working and put our expectations aside for the moment. We need to be open to finding solutions together outside the box, because every student and parent is unique and deserves a unique response.