Let me start by saying that I think Schitt’s Creek might be the greatest show of all time. I laughed, I cried, and I’ve rewatched the entire season more times than I’d care to admit. Yet as silly and outlandish as the characters and plot line may be, I think there’s something we can all learn from the show. Below are 8 things Schitt’s Creek taught me about instructional coaching.
1. Relationships are everything. The entire series serves as a reminder that superficial relationships won’t cut it. When the going gets tough, you need to surround yourself with people who will support you and help see you through those hard times. When you find success along the way, the journey is much sweeter when you’re celebrating with people you care about.
2. Accept people as they are. You can’t build meaningful relationships if you expect people to fit a certain mold. Accept people for the gifts they bring and for the beauty in their quirks. We can all be a little bit Alexis sometimes.
3. Work with what you’ve got. You don’t need all the fancy equipment and facilities to make great things happen. The characters in Schitt’s Creek make some amazing things happen with little to nothing and a whole lot of love. Educators are great at this! Coaches, don’t forget this so that you can create those special moments for your teachers.
4. The most unexpected collaborations lead to the best results. Whether it was David throwing a last minute baby shower for Josslyn, or Johnny partnering with Stevie and Roland to bring the motel back to life, unexpected collaborations made great things happen all the time in this town. As an instructional coach, sometimes we need to think outside the box to get things done in our schools. Sometimes it’s partnering with admin, sometimes it’s working with the school secretaries, and sometimes it’s reaching out to local businesses for support. The possibilities are endless as long as we bring the right people to the table.
5. When a community comes together, anything is possible. From singles week, to the town Christmas eve celebration at the motel, to barn soirées, to community gardens, to open mic nights at Rose Apothecary, there is certainly no shortage of examples of the amazing things that can happen when an entire community rallies around a cause. As instructional coaches, we can serve as key connecters with many stakeholders across the district to bring people together to support an initiative, a cause, or an idea.
6. No matter what, don’t give up on people. When those quirks seem a little too much to take, don’t give up. Think of where Ted & Alexis might be if Ted had given up on her after their failed engagement(s). Or where the Jazzagals might be if they had never allowed Moira to join? Or what might have become of David’s business if Patrick hadn’t believed in his idea. As one of my new found favorites, Dr. Jody Carrington says, “the ones who are hardest to love are the ones who need it most.” Schitt’s Creek shows us how to show up for the ones that are hard to love at times, and how to relentlessly believe in others.
7. In regards to social media, you don’t have to say “hashtag,” don’t forget to turn off any live streams, and if you have an oopsie daisy, just keep going. If you’ve seen the series, you’ll remember season 6 episode 2 when Moira does a Live Stream on Instagram to promote the opening of the crows movie. Only, she forgot to turn off the live stream during a private conversation. In a day and age where we can’t avoid social media to tell our school’s story, Patrick & Alexis teach us some real valuable lessons about avoiding making your own public oopsie daisy.
8. Don’t be afraid to end a good thing to allow new opportunities to emerge. That’s the way we’ve always done it… can be the death of progress in schools (or anywhere). This show ended the series at its peak to end on a high note. While I hate that the series didn’t go on for a few more seasons, I totally respect recognizing that sometimes too much of a good thing, can be too much. I’m not suggesting ending every successful program and thing that you do, but I am suggesting that we constantly question ourselves to make sure we are spending our talents and energies where they are most needed for the educators (and students) we serve at that time.
If you haven’t watched the show yet, fire up your Netflix account and get to binging! If you’re a fellow Schitt’s Creek fan, I’d love to hear what fun life lesson you would spin from the characters in the comments below.
Tech To You Later!
-Katie, Ed.D.