Modern Classrooms Project

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Coaching for Equity with Elena Aguilar

Welcome to the Modern Classrooms Project Podcast. Each week we bring you discussions with educators on how they use blended, self-paced, and mastery-based learning to better serve their learners. In this episode, Toni Rose Deanon is joined by Elena Aguilar to talk about her human-first approach to coaching.

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Elena emphasizes the pivotal role of a coach in redirecting individuals towards agency, particularly when blame surfaces towards students, emphasizing the need to shift mindsets for empowerment. Exploring core human needs, Elena identifies a contradiction where people desire belonging and autonomy yet often engage in behaviors contrary to these needs.

Here are three key takeaways from this podcast episode:

  • Transformational coaching aims to guide individuals, especially educators, back to their agency. Elena shares, "A lot of the work I do with adults is around guiding them back to their agency."

  • The concept of human-centered schools encourages prioritizing values for aligned decision-making. Toni Rose embraces the idea of "human-centered schools," reframing the educational focus from students alone to recognizing the shared humanity within the learning environment.

  • Developing emotional intelligence begins with curiosity and a desire for self-exploration and healing.

The duo navigates the significance of creating inclusive spaces, introducing the idea of prioritizing values to navigate conflicting situations effectively. Elena introduces practical strategies for building emotional intelligence, urging individuals to explore triggers and initiate healing for personal and collective liberation.

Additional Resources Shared in the Podcast

Discussion questions for PLC and PD: 

  • How can transformative coaching practices be integrated into educational settings to guide educators back to their agency and foster a mindset shift towards empowerment, especially when blame dynamics emerge?

  • In the context of "human-centered schools," how can educators balance the individual core values of teachers with the organizational values of the school, and what strategies could leaders employ to align personal and institutional values?

  • Considering Elena Aguilar's emphasis on building emotional intelligence, how can educators initiate conversations about triggers and engage in self-exploration to enhance their emotional literacy? What potential impact could this have on creating inclusive and supportive learning environments?


Our Host

Toni Rose taught MS English for 10 years and will forever identify as a teacher. Toni Rose strives to be the teacher that they never had growing up, so they focus on anti-bias, anti-racist work and wants to create a brave space for everyone around them. As a queer Filipinx, they understand just how important it is to be represented, be valued, and belong. They especially love being a thought partner for and celebrating teachers.


Our Guest: Elena Aguilar

Elena Aguilar is a writer, leader, teacher, coach and podcaster. She is the author of eight highly acclaimed books: The Art of Coaching (2013, retiring in August 2024), The Art of Coaching Teams (2016), Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators (2018), The Onward Workbook (2018), Coaching for Equity (2020), The Art of Coaching Workbook (2020, retiring in August 2024), The PD Book: 7 Habits that Transform Professional Development (2022), and the forthcoming Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching (July 2024). She has also been a frequent contributor to Edutopia, ASCD’s Educational Leadership, and EdWeek Teacher. Elena is the founder and CEO of Bright Morning Consulting, an organization committed to helping individuals and organizations create the conditions for transformation. She has taught tens of thousands of folks how to have conversations that build a more just and equitable world. Elena can be heard demonstrating these conversations on The Bright Morning Podcast.


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