Literacy is the basis for learning across all aspects of the curriculum, and the Massapequa School District prides itself on a strong foundational program at the six elementary schools. A dedicated team of literacy coaches play a vital role in enhancing reading and writing instruction.
Jeannine Butler supports teachers at Birch Lane and Lockhart elementary schools, Danielle Ginobbi is at East Lake and McKenna schools, and Nicole Valentine works at Fairfield and Unqua schools. Collectively, they are committed to supporting general education and special education teachers, reading specialists, kindergarten support specialists, teaching assistants and permanent substitutes.
There is no typical day for a literacy coach, as their tasks are varied. They visit classrooms to co-teach lessons and model instructional strategies, host professional development workshops and help teachers review and interpret student data.
During individual and grade-level meetings with teachers, the coaches will review lesson plans and classroom routines. Together, the educators triangulate data from i-Ready, classroom assessments and teacher observations to be sure students are working to their fullest potential.
Ms. Butler, who was an elementary and reading teacher for 12 years before stepping into her current role a decade ago, emphasized that coaches are colleagues of the teachers they support. Their goal is to work in collaboration with teachers to provide meaningful tools and strategies that ultimately benefit the children.
“It is so rewarding to work with teachers who are open-minded, who have that growth mindset and who want to try new approaches,” Ms. Butler said. “In this role, we affect a lot of students.”
Supporting teachers through professional development workshops is a crucial part of the job. The coaches will typically host grade-level sessions before school, after school or during common prep times. They review strategies for upcoming lessons, changes to the curriculum and new practices and resources.
Ms. Ginobbi, a former special education teacher in her second year as a coach, explained that the coaching role involves a lot of research. To keep up to date on the latest trends, they attend conferences, roundtables and webinars, are part of virtual book clubs, and are constantly reading professional journals. They are part of an instructional coaches collegial circle hosted by Nassau BOCES. The knowledge they gain is then passed on to hundreds of teachers, specialists and other professionals who work directly with Massapequa’s elementary students.