AmeriCorps coaches come to College Possible with diverse educational backgrounds and life experiences. Not all coaches have worked in schools before, or it may have been several years since they graduated from their own high school.
Two years ago, staff asked coaches if there was anything they would have done differently in their position if they were to start all over. A common theme that emerged from these conversations was that coaches would have been more involved in their school communities and would have gotten involved earlier in the year. This year, with support from their program coordinator supervisors, we’ve equipped coaches with a timeline of specific activity milestones to help them more quickly acclimate to their school communities.
The primary goal of implementing the coach engagement milestones is to get coaches more familiar with the school where they are serving in a shorter period of time. This stems from the belief that when coaches feel more connected to their school and its resources, they’re able to better support the students they’re serving.
“By completing these activity milestones, coaches will know where to access key resources at high schools and feel a stronger sense of belonging among the school’s teachers and staff” says AmeriCorps coach-turned-Program Coordinator Riley Nelson.
These milestone activities are planned to be completed during the first month of coaches serving in high schools. Some of the activities include coaches introducing themselves to key school staff–such as principals and counselors–or tasks as simple as finding their high school’s online calendar. All the tasks are intended to set coaches up for successful years in their schools.
Activities include things like:
- Meeting with a new student
- Standing in the hallway between classes
- Introducing themselves to the school counselor(s)
- Finding the school’s online calendar
By being more intentional about getting our coaches connected to their school’s community College Possible Minnesota is building a wider and stronger support system for our students.
Are you interested in learning more about serving as an AmeriCorps coach with College Possible? Click here to learn more.
