Hi! I’m Kristin, also known as Ms. Houser.

I’m an instructional coach at a large, urban elementary school. This will be my eighth year coaching, and I love what I do! As nervous as I was to make that initial transition from classroom teacher to instructional coach, I’m so glad I decided to take the plunge.

Like you, I’m working hard to be a successful educator and make a difference for teachers and kids. In fact, I’ll bet you and I have more than just that in common.

Check all that apply:

a) You loooove the work you do as an instructional coach, but you really don’t like how it sometimes feels like you’re on an island of one. You really wish you had some coaching buddies you could get together with and just talk to. Coaches who were doing the work you’re doing and really understood and could empathize with your struggles and successes.

b) You’re a hard working and driven teacher. You’d really like to push yourself a bit further in your career as an educator and coaching sounds like it could be the perfect next step. But you want to learn a bit more about coaching…what’s it really like? How do you take that next step anyway?

c) You’ve been coaching for awhile now. And it’s not that you dislike what you do, but you feel like you’ve lost a bit of your mojo. That drive you used to have and daily pep in your step. You really want to get it back, but you need a little inspiration, someone to help get you going again.

d) You’re a brand new coach or you just landed that coaching job {woot!} and you really want to be the bombdiggity at what you do. You’re so ready to learn and take action!

If you answered yes to any of the above, you’re in the right place! You and me…we get each other. And I’m here to help!

With this blog, I share the real life work I do day in and day out as a coach and teacher. I definitely don’t know it all, I don’t have all the answers, and I still have a lot to learn. I’m not perfect. But I hope that my experiences – successes and challenges – will keep you motivated, inspired, and can help you reach your goals.

In the process of my work on this blog, I designed a Coaching Planning Kit along with a Teaching Planning Kit. Both planning kits were designed to help other coaches and teachers organize and plan for their work. I’m also a paper planner addict and after years of not finding the perfect planner, I decided to design and build the Time & ToDo Planner, designed especially for busy, creative professionals – that’s you!

If you’re feeling like you’d like to be a part of the MsHouser community, please feel free to subscribe to my blog for email updates. You’ll be joining a group of coaches and teachers over 14,00 strong!

And just for fun, here are a few things you might not know about me.

1. I am obsessed with my chocolate lab Sombra {that’s him in the photo above}. He has me wrapped around his little dewclaw.
2. I’ve had more odd jobs than you can count – including a muffin maker, gift wrapper, elk head collector {yes really}, and invasive weed wacker.
3. I’m deathly afraid of earthworms. When I was five, my dad threw one at me and it stuck to my bare belly. I’ve never been the same since.
4. I don’t like chocolate. Although I’ll eat it if you give it to me.
5. I loooovve to sleep.
6. I rode over 500 miles on my bike in 6 days. It was hard.
7. I celebrate my birthday for an entire week. One day just isn’t enough.
8. My favorite shoes of all time are Toms.
9. I’m a Colorado native.
10. My idea of a perfect Friday night is staying at home with a glass of wine and a good book. I’m a nerd!

Thanks for taking the time to get to know me a bit better, and for the work that you do. I hope to see you on the blog sometime soon!