Two years ago and three days before school started, Chandler Heath got the call.

In seventy-two hours, she’d start teaching English to high school students. After a few years of working with middle school students, Chandler embraced her new role in supporting freshmen and seniors at Rise Kohyang High School. Located in Los Angeles’s Koreatown and part of Bright Star Schools, the halls of RKHS are home to a diverse  student population.

With the short notice this venture should have been daunting but Chandler’s spunk and unwavering optimism launched her right ahead. It helped that the class sizes were smaller, and she built strong connections from the get-go. “At Rise you really get to know the kids, their families, and build a strong community together,” said Chandler.

Her first-year coach serves as the instructional lead for the campus. It was a validating experience. Earlier in her career, In college, mentor feedback was more about criticism than growth. “It was mostly pointing out what was wrong with pages of notes and annotations,” said Chandler. “It never really felt like I was doing anything right. But for the first time with my coach at RKHS, I started to get feedback that was accessible and focused on building around my assets and strengths.”

After completing her second year, coaching rose to a new level. Chandler describes her accountability and support partner as the “breath and sails” that help move her teaching ship forward. The countless split-second decisions that take a mental toll on teachers were less stressful and often became growth mindset moments.

Her first-year coach serves as the instructional lead for the campus. It was a validating experience. Earlier in her career, In college, mentor feedback was more about criticism than growth. “It was mostly pointing out what was wrong with pages of notes and annotations,” said Chandler. “It never really felt like I was doing anything right. But for the first time with my coach at RKHS, I started to get feedback that was accessible and focused on building around my assets and strengths.”

After completing her second year, coaching rose to a new level. Chandler describes her accountability and support partner as the “breath and sails” that help move her teaching ship forward. The countless split-second decisions that take a mental toll on teachers were less stressful and often became growth mindset moments.

Chandler singles out trust-building and relationships with her students as a key focus of the last year, amplified by the pandemic and national conversation on racism. Together, she mapped out a plan with her coach to deepen her understanding of each person. Her coach knew most of her students from previous engagements and provided insight and answers that influenced Chandler’s classroom game plan.

“I was able to bring that knowledge into class and ditch all of the things that simply weren’t working like breakout rooms,” said Chandler.”We took our foot off the gas of all of the ideas and just started to create a big space to connect and talk and build our community despite being remote from one another.”

With this deep understanding of each of her students, Chandler was able to meet each child where they were and build classroom norms that supported everyone:

• With Spanish-speaking, Korean-speaking, and Russian-speaking students, Chandler found ways to be inclusive and celebratory of their identities in class. For example, lesson objectives were read in four languages, signaling the space was for everyone. Anyone can share, and you can share every part of yourself.

• For students with learning differences, extra help can often lead to negative self-perception and stigma. Chandler normalized how support was a part of the classroom culture, making it available to everyone. The message was that everyone is strengthening and improving their work.

Chandler went further, shaking off certain success indicators — tied to the volume and performance of assignments — to find new ways to design lessons and assessments. From how to write the essay prompts to a variety of formats for expression (i.e., not just writing but presentations or Flipgrids), she focused on the critical moment of feedback and revision as the learning and growth opportunity. For her, revision isn’t a redo. Instead, it’s a chance to work through processing, understanding, and implementing learning in partnership. And the difference was noticeable.

“Everyone’s demeanor changed. All of a sudden, students were going back to assignments on their own and continuing to find ways to improve their work.”

For her, knowledge of the students — and how to deepen understanding — is an absolute must for any coach. School and classroom culture are critical for instruction planning and design; everything circles back to the student and creates bridges for teachers. Chandler also doubles down on educator-student trust. “It’s not silly to say that learning requires love and a sense of safety,” said Chandler.

She’s already looking ahead and planning for next year. “You’re always improving, trying to hopefully be a lifelong learner and model that for kids,” said Chandler. “Doing the hard work of reflection and changing your mindset can be a challenge. But it also can fill your battery up so you can keep going.”