Reading Coaching

Well, I’ve officially completed my tutoring sessions with the scholars at the academy for this academic year. Last Thursday was my last day. So, I’m now in the planning stage for my upcoming summer tutoring program. No summer break for this old girl.

And, let me just say that I am in no way feeling a wee bit sorry for myself. I’m actually highly anticipating this summer’s tutoring sessions with the children. With summertime being synonymous with funtime, I have some educationally interactive, exciting, and just down-right fun activities I’m interweaving into the instruction I’ll be providing the students.

It’s so nice to know that I have several scholars from the academy who are ready to participate when the time comes, but I’m making room for more. So, feel free to pass the word about summer reading tutoring from Degrees of Maternity.

Now, tutoring sessions won’t start until early June, so I won’t have any particulars for you to pass along today. I’ll keep you posted though. You’ll be seeing me dribble out information from week to week, and I’ll plan on giving you all the particulars, including how to enroll, when we get closer to the official launch of the Summer 2025 Degrees of Maternity Tutoring Services season.

As a matter of fact, I’ve taken down the “Tutoring Services” tab that was once on the “Home” page of this site to update it. I’ll be putting it back up once I’ve come out of the planning stage and moved into the “sharing the details with everyone” phase.

But, with this time I’ve been given during this brief hiatus to think about and plan the summer tutoring program, I’ve been reflecting on the lessons learned through my tutoring for the academy. And, here’s something really profound that I’ve figured out this year . . . reading “coaching” is a real thing.

In fact, I might go on a limb here and say that the coaching aspect of reading tutoring can be just as important as the reading instruction itself. Let me explain.

When I say “coaching,” I’m referring to the element of teaching where some counseling as well as cheerleading is involved. Children can come to tutoring sessions feeling hesitant, scared, mad, distracted, unequipped, uninterested, sleepy, tired, unmotivated, and so on and so on — as children have all the “feels” we do and will exhibit them unapologetically.

And, there are obviously valid reasons why they feel the way they do and exhibit the behaviors that follow the feelings. Very valid.   

So, we may need to coach to encourage, inspire, admonish, correct, model desired behavior for, entertain, and motivate our kiddos to participate in the instruction we’re trying to deliver.

If you’ve ever tried to get a child to participate in the instruction you’re trying to deliver, and that child just isn’t having it, then you absolutely HAVE TO interrupt regular programming to address the non-cooperative elephant in the room (that valid reason I just mentioned).

IF THE CHILD WON’T PARTICIPATE (FOR WHATEVER REASON), THEN THERE’S NO PRODUCTIVE OUTCOME TO BE HAD. The elephant in the room HAS TO BE addressed.

Children come with some baggage (just like we do). They’re living life, just like we are. And, days aren’t always a “happy face” type of day. Sometimes, they’re blah, so-so, and awful days; and children have to be able to acknowledge their need(s) before they can take their attention off of it (them) and move into a positive learning mode.

Sometimes, the need stems from problems created by outside influences such as illness, bullies, or living in impoverished conditions. But sometimes, the challenges stem from internal conflicts like feeling inadequate, being embarrassed, and lacking self-motivation.

Instructing children requires you to deal with life’s challenges and the unpredictability that each day can bring. So, coaching is a necessary tool that any educator will be required to use — probably every day and maybe every reading session with a student.

I’ve come to value the coaching skill set tremendously. I use it all the time — for my students, for my family and friends, and for myself. Ain’t nothing wrong with a little self-coaching from time to time. The positive peptalk is good no matter who it comes from, even if that “who” is me, myself, and I.

I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO PEPTALK YOURSELF EVERY DAY IF YOU NEED IT. POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS ARE NEEDED IN THESE TIMES AND WHO BETTER TO DELIVER THEM THAN THE ONE WHO NEEDS THEM.

So, there’s no way I ever start a reading session without reading the room first. My initial move is to do a checkup on my reading buddy. “How are you?” “How are you feeling?” “What’s going on?” “How is your day going so far?” “What’s something good that’s happened in your day so far?” Just some of the questions I’ll ask to get some conversation going and really engage with my student so I can feel out what kind of session we’re going to have that day.

Another one I use is which face are you feeling today and why? And, I’ll show a happy face, so-so face, and sad face and have the child identify which face he or she feels represents the kind of day he or she is having. Then, of course, I want specifics on why my student chose that particular face. Lastly, we’ll have a conversation about what was revealed and I’ll see if there’s something I can do to lighten the mood and help the student move on in a positive direction if the day hasn’t been favorable. Or, I’ll affirm how great it is that the student is having such an awesome day if it has been just that.

Again, you’ll NEVER see me just start in on instruction with a student. It doesn’t work to do so. That human element is needed — even in tutoring sessions. And, I genuinely care about the children who look at me through that computer screen.

That reminds me . . . with online tutoring, you have even more of a need to overemphasize how much you care about the student (not just the desired outcome you’re trying to achieve). Believe me — you’re not going to even get to the outcome if you don’t treat your tutee like a human being first.

Let’s face it: being online prevents the physical presence aspect — the closeness in proximity, but it doesn’t have to detract from the caring, nurturing, encouragement, and heartfelt sentiments that human beings can feel even through a computer screen. 

Cultivating your coaching skills will do that very thing . . . let the person on the receiving end of your efforts FEEL the heart you’re putting into what you’re doing. And guess what? That individual on the receiving end of things just may FEEL more inclined to meet your expectations on the instruction you’re delivering.

So, let’s just say that I plan on making reading coaching a fundamental part of my summer reading curriculum I’ll be using with students. How can I not? It’s only natural . . . it’s only human to do so.

Here’s to looking so incredibly forward to incorporating reading enrichment into the lives of my little reading buddies this summer. I CAN’T WAIT!!!