Mind over Matter

February 2025

In this edition of the Teachers who Coach Newsletter

1. A story about Wobbles
2. How we are reaching out for new members, how we take care of them and the conversations we are having
3. Our Collaborative Book-writing Project

Wobbly Legs or Wobbly Mind?

Where I live is famous for climbers. In the Spring there is a Climbers Camp where they show off their equipment and teach people about climbing and tightrope walking. They use ropes to climb the 30, 40, 50 meter high cliffs. The climbers hang a rope between two cliffs and walk along it. Scary fun. They take their fun seriously and always use safety lines.

This is how they educate the public about what they are doing.

They set up a tightrope between two small platforms pinned to the ground. The height of the rope is about the same as a chair. Stepping onto the tightrope would be as easy as stepping onto a chair to reach the top of a kitchen cupboard. Easy, huh?

So what is my mind telling me about this opportunity to walk along the tightrope?

One voice says “Go on, everyone else is looking, show them you can do it”. Another voice says “Don’t even try, you will fall and hurt yourself.”

When I step onto the platform, it wobbles. Not much, but more than a chair would. The voices repeat their alarms and encouragement, “Don’t even try!”, “Go on!”

I put my foot on the tightrope. It wobbles. My whole leg wobbles. My knees feel weak. The voices turn up the volume, “Don’t you dare to try!”, “Go on! Go on!!”

I lean my weight on the foot that’s on the tightrope and try to find my balance. The rope sways from side to side and it wobbles. But not much. Mostly it’s my foot and leg that’s wobbling. It’s vibrating. And now it’s getting tired. Those voices seem so reasonable. I don’t dare. Or do I?

One of the climbers gives me some support, “Standing there, you will tire yourself out. It gets easier when you trust yourself, and walk along the rope. Just lean forwards and…”

I panic. I allow myself to fall to the ground. The climber catches me and I am not hurt at all. Except my pride.

One of my voices says, “What?? I told you you could do it. Why did you step off?” the other says, “See!! I told you you would fall.”

I stand there and wonder if I should try again.

What do you think?

This month in review

Reaching Educators via our Torchbearers

We have a WhatsApp Group where we share our 'on message' social media posts, such as the image below. Members of the group re-post, comment and like the TwC Posts on a daily basis.

If you would like to post on behalf of TwC, read this first, then comment “Torchbearer”. We will send you an invitation link to the WhatsApp Torchbearers Group.

Reaching Educators via our Website Pages

We have a newish website. We added descriptions for how different people can get involved: School Leaders, Teachers, Coaches, and a little background About TwC.

The most relevant page seems to be Support Requests where educators can connect with coaches to learn about how teaching and coaching combine, be coached and practice their coaching skills.

Click to see the new website.

Greeting New Members, a job for our Mentors

We welcome all our new members. In February it was Harvey Trump standing at the door, welcoming you and sharing our Welcome Letter.

Coach and Teacher conversations

At TwC we encourage teachers and coaches to have conversations with each other, about teaching and coaching, and the connection between them.

I am bookable here. And so are many other coaches. There are no charges for events that are in our Calendars.

My conversations with TwC Members

I have had many excellent conversations this month. Here are a few. Permission has been granted to share their feedback with you.

Lincy Bernard

It was a pleasure interacting with you—such a productive and insightful experience! The ideas shared and the space created offer a great environment to learn, share, grow, and support one another.

Looking forward to connecting more often for fun and interactive sessions!

Khrystyna Bakovska

When You Need a Magic Touch ????

You know that feeling when you’ve almost figured something out, but the puzzle pieces just won’t click? Yeah, that was me — until I had a session with the incredible Martin. ??

Since I didn’t want to show up like a kid with unfinished homework (??), I came prepared — with a list of questions. This was my golden chance to get clarity on things that had been bothering me for ages!

?? Key questions and a few takeaways:

?? How do you identify coachable and non-coachable students?

As a teacher, I want to have all the answers. But as a coach, my job is to give space, not control the process. It’s like tending a garden ??— I shine light, but I don’t decide what grows.

?? How do you encourage students to co-create learning materials?

Easy — be na?ve! ?? Ask your students to teach YOU. They’re experts in their fields, so let them explain, guide, and demonstrate. It’s like letting the client lead the haircut instead of the hairdresser. ??♂?

?? Why do students expect me to hand them a "perfect" learning method?

It’s like choosing shoes. ???? They might be comfortable, stylish, and high-quality, but if they’re not made for hiking, you won’t reach the summit. Students often want certainty, but real progress comes from experimenting.

?? Final takeaway?

Learning is messy, teaching is an adventure, and coaching is an art. Huge thanks to Martin for making me see things from a new angle! How does he do it so effortlessly?! ??

Thank you, Martin!

Natasha Dique

Thank you and it was an insightful meeting

Coming up next month at TwC

TwC Support Group - Members

We encourage TwC Members to connect with each other. It’s best if you read our Welcome Letter so you make the best of this group.

Current Members can click to see the list of members.

We opened the Support Group in June 2024 and currently have 750+ members who:

• Meet like-minded colleagues at our Live Meetings
• Receive Professional Support at no cost
• Access the growing number of Resources for bringing coaching to classes and schools

We Meet You at the Door

In March, the TwC Mentor at the door will be Monika Szijjártó

Collaborative Book-writing Project

We encourage members to collaborate in creating resources for their colleagues in other countries. Currently, we are writing a book of articles and activities for educators who wish to add coaching skills to their teaching skills.?

You can click to see the book. Members can also comment to contribute.

For those educators studying from this book, personal support from the TwC Coaches will be available at no cost via the TwC website.