Coaching the Whole Educator

Becca Silver
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Coaching the Whole Educator is a podcast for instructional coaches, teacher leaders, and school leaders who want to strengthen their educators’ effectiveness and resilience, especially the ones who need it most. Each week, you’ll hear quick tips, proven strategies, and coaching mindsets designed to keep you on top of your coaching game. This show is rooted in a human-centered approach, where we get things done through people’s humanity, not around it. Whether you’re new to instructional coaching or a seasoned instructional coach or leader looking for fresh perspective, you’ll learn how to focus on the mindsets and motivations driving unproductive behaviors. By getting to the root of resistance, you’ll discover how to build stronger relationships, lead with clarity, and create lasting impact in your school.

  1. #194: Stop Assuming Great Teachers Make Great Mentors

    2d ago

    #194: Stop Assuming Great Teachers Make Great Mentors

    Send us Fan Mail What if one of the biggest missing pieces in teacher retention is how we support mentor teachers? In this episode, Becca talks with John Pascarella, professor of clinical education at USC and Chief Academic Officer of the USC Race and Equity Center, about why mentor teachers are often asked to support new teachers without the training, role clarity, compensation, or coaching they actually need. They unpack why being a great teacher does not automatically make someone a great mentor, how mentoring adults requires a different skill set, and why schools need to stop treating mentorship like informal volunteer work. This conversation is for instructional coaches, school leaders, district leaders, and teacher leaders who want to strengthen new teacher support, improve teacher retention, and build more effective mentoring systems in schools. John's Info: Faculty profile  |  CCTE Policy Brief (free download, includes my brief on mentor teachers)  |  Learning Policy Institute (Stanford University) Buy "The Resistance Solution" here! Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    27 min
  2. #193: When High Expectations Meet Resistance: What Should Leaders Actually Do?

    Jun 8

    #193: When High Expectations Meet Resistance: What Should Leaders Actually Do?

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Coaching the Whole Educator, Becca Silver talks with Principal Kafele about what happens when high expectations meet resistance in schools and how leaders can respond without slipping into compliance-driven leadership. Together, they explore how school leaders can create a true culture of high expectations, not by demanding instant transformation, but by helping educators experience steady, measurable growth. Principal Kafele shares why leaders must connect expectations to a larger purpose, build authentic relationships with staff, and understand what is beneath the pushback before deciding how to respond. This conversation digs into the difference between teacher resistance, overwhelm, and low expectations, and why leaders cannot diagnose those differences without ongoing trust, coaching, and collaboration. Becca and Principal Kafele also discuss the role of leadership identity, including how the way leaders see themselves shapes how they respond to hesitation, pushback, and resistance. Listeners will walk away with practical insight into how to:  Hold high expectations without leading through compliance  Recognize growth as progress, not perfection  Build a school culture where expectations become normal behavior  Respond to resistance with curiosity instead of judgment  Strengthen leadership identity during difficult conversations  Support educators through change while maintaining clear standards This episode is especially valuable for principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, district leaders, and school leadership teams who are navigating resistance to change, supporting adult learning, and working to build cultures of growth, accountability, and meaningful progress. [BOOK] Grab There Resistance Solution: Why Educator Resist and What They Need Instead HERE!  Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    25 min
  3. #192: The Resistance Solution in Action: An Instructional Leader's Perspective

    Jun 7

    #192: The Resistance Solution in Action: An Instructional Leader's Perspective

    Send us Fan Mail  What does The Resistance Solution actually look like in a real school? In this episode, Chrystin Sheffield shares how the book transformed the way she leads. She talks about how it helped her: • Stop taking teacher resistance personally and start diagnosing what's really driving it • Navigate difficult conversations with less frustration and more confidence • Give walkthrough feedback that feels meaningful instead of repetitive • Build trust more intentionally instead of simply hoping relationships develop • Create accountability without creating defensiveness • Understand why teachers say "I don't have time" and how to respond in a way that actually helps • Move beyond surface-level coaching conversations to uncover root causes One of my favorite moments was hearing Chrystin say that before reading the book, she often felt like she should have all the answers as a leader. What she discovered instead was that the most powerful thing she could do wasn't solve the problem for people. It was understand the unmet need underneath the resistance. This conversation is about what happened when the ideas in the book were applied in a real school by a real leader facing real challenges. If you're a principal, assistant principal, coach, or district leader who has ever wondered why feedback isn't sticking, coaching conversations aren't leading to change, or teachers seem resistant despite your best efforts, I think you'll see yourself in this conversation.  📘 Grab The Resistance Solution HERE. (And you can find it at all major book outlets) Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    41 min
  4. #191: How to Collect Data on Teacher Well Being

    May 31

    #191: How to Collect Data on Teacher Well Being

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Becca sits down with Jessica Werner, founder of North Shore Learning, to unpack a hard truth in schools: many leaders believe they understand staff well-being, but are relying on assumptions instead of real data. Together, they explore how well-being, retention, and leadership decisions are deeply connected and why anecdotal signals like “people seem happy” or “no one is in crisis” are not enough to guide action. Jessica shares how collecting simple, meaningful data can help leaders identify what is actually impacting teacher satisfaction, workload, and long-term retention. The conversation highlights how proactive support, rather than reactive responses, can reduce burnout and turnover while strengthening school culture. They also discuss how schools with stronger retention intentionally pair every new initiative with a support plan, recognizing that added expectations without support erode well-being over time. In this episode: • Why leaders often misread staff well-being without data  • The difference between anecdotal impressions and actionable insights  • Simple ways to start gathering meaningful well-being data immediately  • How attendance patterns, workload, and informal check-ins reveal hidden trends  • Why every initiative should include a parallel plan for teacher support  • The financial and cultural cost of reactive turnover versus proactive retention  • How acknowledging teachers’ full lives outside of school shapes morale and sustainability The core message: well-being is not a single program or strategy. It is a set of conditions that can be measured, supported, and strengthened when leaders shift from assumptions to data-informed action. Learn more about Jessica & Northshore Learning at northshorelearning.org, the place where school support meets real classroom impact. Grab your copy of The Resistance Solution   📖 HERE! [FREE WEBINAR] Breaking Through Resistance:  🗓️ Register HERE Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    23 min
  5. #190.5: "The Resistance Solution": A CELEBRATION!

    May 26

    #190.5: "The Resistance Solution": A CELEBRATION!

    Send us Fan Mail Okay y’all… this episode is basically what happens when two people who are deeply obsessed with leadership, resistance, ownership, and human behavior finally hit “record.” 😂 Becca sits down with leadership expert Casey Watts to celebrate the release of The Resistance Solution… but the conversation quickly turns into a deep, real-time exploration of what actually causes resistance in schools and why so many leadership strategies fall apart after the initial excitement fades. What makes this episode different is that Becca doesn’t just explain the ideas from the book. She tells the story of how the work evolved over years of coaching, research, frustration, trial and error, and eventually discovering the five Catalyst Mindsets™. The episode also dives deeply into ownership mindset, why buy-in is not the end goal, and the missing piece most schools overlook: agency. There’s also a powerful conversation about language and why phrases like “resistant teachers” quietly shape the way leaders interact with people. Becca and Casey unpack why resistance is not a personality trait, but a temporary human experience tied to unmet needs. If you’ve ever thought: “Why are people still pulling back even after we communicated the vision clearly?” or “Why do some accountability strategies completely flop?” …this episode is going to hit home. 📘 The Resistance Solution gives instructional coaches and school leaders practical tools, diagnostic frameworks, coaching processes, and human-centered strategies for navigating resistance without relying on pressure, compliance, or generic one-size-fits-all solutions. Grab your copy of The Resistance Solution   📖 HERE! [FREE WEBINAR] Breaking Through Resistance:  🗓️ Register HERE Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    27 min
  6. #190: The 5 Powerful Coaching Practices (and a surprising secret to success)

    May 24

    #190: The 5 Powerful Coaching Practices (and a surprising secret to success)

    Send us Fan Mail [FREE] Find Your Resistance Type Quiz: Find out the type of resistance you are navigating In this episode of Coaching the Whole Educator, Becca sits down with Jason Adair from the Southern Regional Education Board to explore what actually makes instructional coaching effective in schools. Together, they unpack SREB’s new Powerful Coaching Practices framework and discuss why so many coaching initiatives fail to create lasting instructional change. This conversation dives into instructional coaching strategies, teacher feedback, coaching cycles, relationship-based leadership, professional learning, and implementation challenges in K-12 schools. Becca and Jason discuss the importance of trust, goal-setting, observation and feedback, instructional leadership, and why coaching must move beyond compliance-based approaches to create real teacher growth and student learning outcomes. They also tackle common coaching mistakes, including “facili-manipulation,” surface-level feedback, unclear goals, and the breakdown of coaching due to lack of time, competing priorities, and weak systems. The episode offers practical insight for instructional coaches, principals, district leaders, and anyone focused on improving teacher development and school improvement efforts. Key topics include:  Instructional coaching best practices  Building trust with teachers  Coaching cycles and feedback loops  Teacher goal-setting and ownership  Observation and actionable feedback  School leadership and implementation  Professional learning communities (PLCs)  Coaching for meaningful instructional change  Avoiding compliance-driven coaching  Time management for instructional coaches and principals If you’re a school leader, instructional coach, or educator trying to improve follow-through, teacher engagement, and instructional practice, this episode offers practical frameworks and real-world coaching insights you can immediately apply in schools.  Links from the episode: SREB Summer Conference (Coaching Community)  Powerful Coaching Practices Powerful instructional Practices [FREE WEBINAR] Breaking Through Resistance: Register HERE   Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    31 min
  7. #189: Inside the Lived Experiences of Black Women Instructional Coaches

    May 17

    #189: Inside the Lived Experiences of Black Women Instructional Coaches

    Send us Fan Mail Grab the RESISTANCE PLAYBOOK for only $7 HERE.  Discover a conversation unlike any you’ve heard before as Dr. Courtney Tate joins Becca Silver to shine a spotlight on the real challenges and triumphs experienced by Black women in instructional coaching. This episode pulls back the curtain on the unseen emotional workload, the navigation of daily microaggressions, and the relentless pursuit of recognition faced by these dedicated professionals. Dr. Tate brings her research and personal journey front and center, revealing strategies for building support systems, dismantling stereotypes, and ensuring visibility and respect within educational spaces. You will walk away with fresh insight, vivid stories, and clear guidance, straight from the source, on how schools can foster true inclusion and leadership for Black women coaches. Check out Courtney's work here:  Website: https://alignedcoachingandconsulting.comLeading From the Middle PodcastInstagram: the_alignedcoach or ctatewritesBook signed from my website Order on Amazon[FREE RESOURCE] Find Your Resistance Type Quiz: Find out the type of resistance you are navigating (previously called The Resistance Audit) [FREE WEBINAR] Breaking Through Resistance: Register HERE Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    26 min
  8. #188: The Coaching Mistake We Make When Teachers Are Exhausted

    May 10

    #188: The Coaching Mistake We Make When Teachers Are Exhausted

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Resistance Chronicles, Becca Silver unpacks a coaching mistake many instructional coaches and school leaders make at the end of the school year: trying to solve exhausted teachers instead of helping them feel understood first. When teachers are overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and running on fumes, even well-intentioned coaching strategies can accidentally create more frustration. Too often, leaders hear exhaustion and immediately jump into problem-solving, advice, or pushing for solutions. But exhausted educators usually do not need someone to fix them first. They need someone to slow down long enough to truly hear them. In this short episode, Becca shares a practical communication strategy called Looping for Understanding, a research-backed approach that helps educators feel seen, heard, and less emotionally alone during high-stress moments. She explains how this simple shift can reduce defensiveness, strengthen trust, and create more productive coaching conversations during one of the hardest stretches of the school year. If your teachers are tired, emotionally maxed out, or struggling to stay engaged right now, this episode will give you one concrete strategy you can use immediately. Perfect for instructional coaches, principals, assistant principals, and school leaders supporting exhausted educators at the end of the year.  Breaking Through Resistance webinar: Reserve your seat HERE. Let's Stay Connected! Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us

    5 min
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5
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

Coaching the Whole Educator is a podcast for instructional coaches, teacher leaders, and school leaders who want to strengthen their educators’ effectiveness and resilience, especially the ones who need it most. Each week, you’ll hear quick tips, proven strategies, and coaching mindsets designed to keep you on top of your coaching game. This show is rooted in a human-centered approach, where we get things done through people’s humanity, not around it. Whether you’re new to instructional coaching or a seasoned instructional coach or leader looking for fresh perspective, you’ll learn how to focus on the mindsets and motivations driving unproductive behaviors. By getting to the root of resistance, you’ll discover how to build stronger relationships, lead with clarity, and create lasting impact in your school.

Information

  • Creator
    Becca Silver
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    200
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Coaching the Whole Educator
  • Show Website
    Coaching the Whole Educator

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