Kelley Oziminski, Health and PE Teacher, will be a new Instructional Coach (IC) for the 2025-2026 school year, Dr. Joyce Kim, Associate Principal of Teaching and Learning, said.

      IC’s are teachers who work alongside other teachers to create measurable goals, implement instructional strategies, and help monitor student growth, Kim said. They function as a support system for teachers, who can reach out to an IC for help, as opposed to Instructional Supervisors, who are heads of departments, Kim explained.

       “[Teachers] are [able to] go to our instructional coaches and [be] completely confidential, so nobody knows that [they are striving for something],” Kim said.

       The Instructional Coaches Program is centered around The Impact Cycle, an in  structional coaching model created by Jim Knight, Kim said. Identifying a goal, learning how to implement it, and then improving their teaching skills by achieving that goal, are the three main steps that Instructional Coaches follow to help teachers, Kim said.

       The application for IC was sent to South teachers, Kim explained. ICs are considered Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSA) positions, and for Oziminski, she will still teach three classes in addition to coaching, Oziminski said.

       “Some of my time will be spent teaching and then the other part will be collaborating with other teachers to work on their goals,” Oziminski said.

       Oziminski has had positive experiences with ICs, and they have helped her in reframing her thinking to accomplish goals in the classroom, she said. One of the main reasons she applied for the position was to connect with more people around the school.

        “I want to use the opportunity to get to know other people, see all the great things [teachers are] doing in their classrooms, and broaden the different ways people are teaching,” Ozminski said.