Customized Coaching For Student Success: Get To Know Erica Robb (Baltimore ’16) And Jessy Miller (South Louisiana ’11)
October 27, 2017
How has the coaching experience impacted you as a corps member?
Erica: I really struggled as a first year teacher. There was just a lot happening at one time. But by working with Jessy, everything changed. She helped me narrow down my world and helped me focus on student achievement and relationships. She would ask, “What are you doing about this specific action item?” She helped me make the connection of how something aids something else, such as setting up goals to improve classroom behaviors.
How has the coaching experience impacted your students?
Erica: Jessy coached me to focus on setting academic growth goals. This helped me work with my students to identify and invest in their individual reading goals, which helped them achieve substantial growth. My student, Saniya, for example, grew 1.5 years in reading. Setting a goal helped her grow an intrinsic motivation. I was also able to build a relationship with Saniya’s mom and shared with her the strategies we used in the classroom to use at home. This year, Saniya’s mom requested for her younger sister to be in my class. Given the success I saw with Saniya, I am hoping to implement the strategies I used to replicate that success with not just her younger sister, but with all of my students.
How have you seen Erica grow?
Jessy: Erica made so much growth last year in how she set up students for success. This year, she is building upon that growth by setting a vision and knowing how to get there. And because she knows her goals and vision for the year, she can identify what she needs to teach and what her students need to learn in a way that is engaging, empowering, and enables them to be successful.
What has been a pivotal moment in your relationship?
Erica: Last year, before coaching had even started, we met up for a bite to eat. During the conversation, I realized that Jessy truly wanted to get to know me as a person and a human being in order to best support me. From that day, I knew she cared about me and my success with students.