IMPACT
“The biggest surprise for me was discovering the depth of personal growth and professional development it facilitated. Initially, I anticipated receiving practical strategies and instructional tips, but what truly amazed me was the emphasis on self-reflection, mindset shifts, and holistic support. The coaching journey not only transformed my teaching techniques but also fostered a deeper understanding of myself as an educator, leading to profound improvements in my confidence, resilience, and overall approach to education.”
— Derrick Crawford | Math Teacher, Apex JeffersonRISE Charter School, Harvey, LA
“Through the coaching, I've cultivated a heightened awareness of my own emotions and developed the ability to regulate them effectively. This newfound emotional intelligence empowers me to operate with integrity as a leader by consciously monitoring my feelings, articulating them openly to others, and leveraging them constructively to propel actions forward. I now recognize emotions as valuable assets in the workplace, fostering trust and fostering connections through open dialogue.”
— Lindsey Harrsion | Senior Program Manager, Participate Learning
“Before elevateED coaching, I struggled with the way others perceived me. I always felt that I was being judged by my fellow colleagues during meetings and other events. This perception hindered my ability to advocate for myself and motivated me less to strive for improvement, resulting in challenges in my work life. I've grown significantly more at ease in group settings, particularly during leadership meetings. As a result of coaching, I confidently voice my opinions and present ideas, asking questions and consistently advocating for myself, my team, and our students. I've experienced tremendous personal and professional growth. I've become more self-aware, practicing self-reflection before jumping to conclusions by distinguishing between facts and stories. Professionally, elevateED has played a pivotal role in helping me discover my authentic self.”
— Shadia Askar | Assistant Director, Student Supports, JeffersonRISE Charter School, Harvey, LA
“One of the greatest gifts I got from elevateED coaching was the ability to really sit with, identify, and reflect on my reactions and emotions. As a people-pleaser and someone who really feels pride in getting results and getting things done, I realized I was projecting a lot of that on teammates and feeling let down. Tim pushed me to really get specific on my triggers, on what the exact feelings I had about it, and really dig into why - both what that means internally for myself, and what it means about my expectations and interactions and reactions to my colleagues. It wasn't about excusing or lowing expectations, but about getting clarity and being able to acknowledge and move forward. I also feel more confident about communicating those aspects of myself in the teams that I work with - recognizing that if I wasn't aware of my needs, and I didn't communicate them, then I couldn't expect my colleagues to meet them. And vice versa.”
– Amanda Bikowski | Specialist, Learning Solutions, former Assistant Principal
“As a result of coaching, I am now able to have open and honest conversations with my team, which has opened communication both ways. My team now trusts that I have their best interests at heart, which in turn has proven to be what is best for kids. A big "Aha" moment for me was when I found myself taking the time to really bond with my team as individuals AND a team. Every team member brings something unique to the team and realizing that finally made me realize that this is my new school family.”
— Tina Bellows | Intervention Coordinator, JeffersonRISE Charter School, Harvey, LA
“The most important result of coaching is that I have learned the scheduling piece for a healthy home/work balance. All of the priorities are on the schedule for which day particular tasks need to be accomplished by what day. Now, I never bring work home with me unless something unforeseen had happened during my planning time or after school during the second work time I put in place. I have changed by realizing how to think about putting myself first. This does not mean that my students are receiving any less of me. It means that I concentrate really hard on what is most important and then if I cannot commit to any extra time to devote to a new project, I simply say no. The biggest surprise was the bonds that have been formed with the ladies participating in this group and with Tim. We have these catch-phrases now and check-in with each other on a regular basis. Although Tim is always an email or text message away, these ladies are there when we need to call on and support each other.”
— Starr Kronour | Intervention Specialist, DECA Prep Elementary School, Dayton, OH
“In my very first session, three incredible things happened: First, Tim walked me through new strategies for calming my nervous system. Second, we engaged in an exercise that helped me identify my goals and values as a teacher. Third, we talked through a workplace conflict I was having and I left with a plan to approach the issue in a healthy, productive way. To accomplish all of that in a 60 minute first session was really surprising. I knew right away that coaching would be an incredibly valuable experience.”
— Rebecca Fensholt, Teacher, Durham Public SchoolsH
“Before elevateED coaching, I struggled with a host of issues that actively contributed to feelings of burnout: work-life balance, approaching difficult conversations, tempering frustrations with administrative decisions and believing that I couldn't possibly achieve more balance without compromising the quality of my work and the outcomes of my students. ElevateED coaching dramatically restored my work-life balance, allowed me to truly cherish the parts of teaching that I enjoyed most and empowered me to take further ownership over my life. Thanks to Tim and elevateED, I am fully cognizant that I am not a victim in any situation; that I can determine how much time I devote to certain tasks; and that caring for myself is far more important to ensuring the success of my students than continuing to work to the point of exhaustion.”
— Dylan Howlett | 8th Grade Science Teacher & 8th Grade Team Lead, Maureen Joy Charter School, Durham, NC
“Before I started coaching, I wanted to quit my job and struggled with my own identity outside of being a teacher and truly went into this coaching experience with no real expectations. I remember thinking that this was an offered solution to things that I had been complaining about for years, and I felt like I couldn't complain and not at least try something my administration was offering. The amount of growth that I have made as a teacher and the difference in my mental health and overall opinion of my job and school in such a short amount of time is truly surprising to me…”
— Courtney Harvey | 2nd Grade Team Leader & Teacher, DECA Prep, Dayton, OH
“1) I have made tremendous growth in making and keeping commitments - both to myself and to others. Tim has helped me to see the connection between commitments and relationships. Whether to myself or to others, I now see more clearly that the commitments that I make either help or hurt have an impact (positively or negatively) on my relationships. Tim has also helped me to see that it's OK if a commitment needs to be modified and to allow myself some grace when a commitment goes unfulfilled.
2) I have grown in how I use my time, especially at work. Tim has helped me identify practical action items - including putting things on the calendar. This includes breaking down larger goals and tasks into smaller ones that are easier to manage and that keep me on track. In addition, Tim has helped me navigate the dynamics of collaborating with others. He has given me tools to help me take ownership of what I can take ownership of, and communicate my needs to my collaborators in a way that is kind and clear.
3) Tim has helped me grow in how I view myself. When Tim and I first started meeting, he observed how critical I was to myself; I was constantly putting myself down. Now, I allow for more grace in my struggles. He continually helps me pause to name and celebrate growth. This has given me the confidence to keep growing in other areas.
All of these things have helped me become a better educator, colleague, and employee. I am more optimistic. I am more joyful and relaxed. I am more focused and prepared. I am getting things done.”
— Graham White | Music Teacher & Band Director, Maureen Joy Charter School, Durham, NC
“The first goal I set was to leave the school building by 4:30pm every day and not take work home with me. I thought it would take me a year to get a handle on that simple boundary. It took about three months before I had met that goal reliably enough that the boundary had become a habit. I knew the work Tim and I were doing was working and I was excited to see what would happen with the next goal I set! (By the way, five years later, I am still leaving the building consistently and now, it's nearly always before 4:00pm!)”
— Katelan Frye | 7th Grade Teacher, Apex Friendship Middle School, Apex, NC
“Before elevateED coaching, I struggled with having difficult conversations with those that I lead and with those that lead me. From coaching, I gained understanding and applied nonviolent communication techniques: how to make and meet the requests of myself and others and how to separate facts from stories (that I create).To prospective future clients, I would say that openness and willingness to go through the coaching process is needed in order to transform yourself as a leader.”
— Renee Love, Assistant Director of English and Social Studies, JeffersonRISE Charter School, Harvey, LA
“Before elevateED coaching I was constantly being reactive instead of proactive. I didn't have the tools or strategies to know and understand how to take control of my time so that I could focus on the areas where I could grow my school. Through coaching, I have changed how I approach my time management. I have learned how to prioritize what areas are most impactful and how I can arrange my time to commit to those areas. I have also personally learned that I operate as a people-pleaser and this awareness has helped me to start to overcome how I navigate as a leader.”
— Lanette Fain | Assistant Principal, Maureen Joy Charter School
“The year before I started coaching, I had serious doubts about whether I would continue teaching. I was on the verge of burnout and feeling very ineffective. Coaching helped me to create and attend to better boundaries in my life, especially when Covid hit. When I took on the team lead role, coaching helped me to integrate my new responsibilities into my existing task management systems and also helped me navigate some difficult personnel issues on my team. Coaching has helped me balance teaching and team lead responsibilities and a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Coaching has helped me build up new skills, apply them to more and more challenging situations, and yet come away feeling proud of how I handled them.”
— Heather Lakemacker | 2nd Grade Team Leader & Teacher, Maureen Joy Charter School, Durham, NC
“Professionally I've learned how to communicate with others and have tough conversations with others in a professional way. I've also learned that everything won't go as planned and people always won't do what you asked, but that is ok as long as I took care of things that were under my control. I was surprised by how much of an impact coaching actually made on my personal life..I picked up tools such as "Fact vs story" "Staying in my Business" and "Operating within my 100%".”
— Chris Current | Athletic Director, JeffersonRISE Charter School, Harvey, LA
“Before elevateED coaching, I struggled with maintaining a balanced approach to personal and professional growth, often feeling overwhelmed by the challenges of lacking effective strategies for self-improvement. I wasn't initially certain about … coaching but I decided to give it chance. It became evident that it was right for me when I started seeing tangible improvements in my mindset, skills, and overall well-being through the tailored support and guidance provided by the coaching sessions. The biggest surprise about elevateED coaching for me was how deeply personalized and impactful the sessions were. I didn't expect such tailored support and guidance that directly addressed my unique challenges and goals. It made a significant difference in my growth journey.”
— Angie New | Content Coach & Teacher, JeffersonRISE Charter School, Harvey, LA
“When I started coaching two years ago, I was angry and anxious about the issues going on at school and in my personal life. I would cry at meetings when we discussed simple items because of the stress I was feeling from school. I am now able to take in issues I am seeing and work through the problems with logical thinking. I use communication skills from coaching daily with kids, staff, and admin. I am more at peace when difficult situations arise because I feel like I have structures in place to help me through.”
— Janelle Elking | 3rd Grade Team Leader 7 Teacher, , DECA Prep Elementary School, Dayton, OH
“Before elevateED coaching, I was building resentment toward my organization and administration. I found myself angry and had trouble pinpointing the root of the issue as my feelings seemed to permeate other aspects of my career and life. Coaching helped me find the root cause of my anger toward my organization and career and find ways to cope with my emotions. Coaching helped me practice identifying the real causes so I could work toward actual solutions and move forward. Tim helped me work through finding solutions, so instead of being in an endless cycle of focusing on problems, I could finally move forward to problem solving, and eventually find closure.”
— Dana Franks | Kindergarten Teacher
“Before ElevateED coaching. I struggle with having tough conversations with staff members and how to approach those situations. Now, I am more confident. In coaching, we are able to openly express our feelings about challenging situations and have comfort with sharing in front of others”
— Jade Falcon, Coordinator, JeffersonRISE Charter School, Harvey, LA