Everyone should have a chance to be a TOSA

It is official, I am going to the classroom again. I have been an instructional coach for the past 3 years but the time has come to return to the classroom.

When my family was planning to get out of the military and move home to California from Boise in 2016, I started applying for jobs on Edjoin. My previous district (when I was a student) and my mom's current district had a position for a TOSA. I didn't know what that meant, so I figured I wasn't qualified. I applied to other districts but didn't get much in the way of offers. I had completed my student teaching in Alaska and my experience in Boise. Naturally my application was a mess. BUT my mom encouraged me to apply explaining TOSAs (instructional coaches) and I was hired!

Now 3 years later, and countless memories and experiences, I have decided to work in a classroom again. But this time, I have this toolbox of ideas and resources from being a TOSA. As I have often said before, everyone should have a chance to be a TOSA. I am sure that I learned far more from my teachers than what I probably taught them, and I am grateful for it. I had time to research SBAC/CAASPP and listened as teachers made incredible discoveries using rubrics and during data chats. I read all the books I wanted to read, subsequently making longer to-read lists because I had the time away from the stress of grading and daily lesson planning. I presented in conferences and worked with outside agencies like DNA Mathematics through Solution Tree and the 12th grade course "Mathematics Reasoning with Connections" (MRWC) with Riverside County Office of Education and Cal Poly Pomona. I worked in a tiny room with 13 other incredible TOSAs from different content areas and was able to brainstorm and learn from them as we created cross curricular projects and activities. I visited classrooms with teachers on every scale you could think of and learned from each of them. I watched a teacher take a simple multiple choice problem and showed us the power of student discourse and building students agency in a safe environment, regardless of their status or ranking. I also watched teachers in the "easy schools" struggle with classroom management because kids aren't simply easy because they are on the "right side of the railroad tracks".

These (and many more) experiences have shaped me into becoming a better teacher than I ever dreamed imaginable. My mom is a retired principal and once told me that she felt like she could've returned to the classroom a much better teachers just by being out of the classroom and observing other teachers. I didn't quite understand what she meant until I did the same. And although most people leave the classroom and don't get a chance to use their learning again, I do! This experience has made me want other teachers to see the power in observing others as they continue their journeys. It has helped me see what Robert Kaplinsky has worked to start with the #ObserveMe movement. We all need to observe each other as often as possible so that we can be better educators.

A good friend asked me "What was the hardest part of the decision to return to the classroom?" At first, it was leaving the opportunities and experiences that I listed above behind. Then I read the blog by Zac Champagne about "Going Forward to the Classroom". His words helped me wrap my head around how exciting it could be. And as I reflected and when I finally made the decision, it was truly the friendships I might lose. The two math TOSAs I have had the privilege to work with the past two years have made me a better person and I am devastated to not see them on a daily basis next year. They push me to slow down and be intentional and careful about my planning and the experiences I create and they are true friends. I will also miss the MRWC team I have grown to cherish who won't be a quick classroom visit away. They have taught me the power in showing students how I care about them (and not waiting until Halloween to smile). And all the teachers who let me plan with them and invited me into their beautiful classrooms, I will miss those unique, incredible learning experiences. I will miss the people with whom I shared my experience, but I have also made a space for someone to glean this experience and grow as I have.

My goal is to not lose the fire of research, intentionality, and connectedness I have gained these past 3 years as a TOSA while I continue my journey in the classroom.


Thanks for reading!

Lauren