2021 Endorsed Coaches

2021 Endorsed Coaches/Master Teachers

Featured below are coaches who have completed the Endorsement process and were awarded Tools Endorsed Coach Status this summer:

Kim Barna, New Jersey
Years Coaching Tools:  1^st year

1. What impact has Tools had on the educators in your program/district?
   • Tools of the Mind has given our teachers an opportunity to be more involved in their children’s learning. By offering small group activities and being more present during Make-Believe Play time, our teachers are able to actively participate, as well as assess the children while playing and enjoying their company.
2. Can you share one story of how Tools has impacted your work as a coach/master teacher?
   • As a new Master Teacher, I feel as though the Tools of the Mind curriculum has helped me assist my teachers in setting up their classrooms. Through establishing their schedules, setting up their environments, and labeling their classrooms, I feel that they had a good foundation to start the year off on the right foot.
3. What would you say to an administrator considering implementing Tools of the Mind?
   • Tools of the Mind is a wonderful curriculum. It encourages students to become independent and assists them with their self-regulation skills. The environments create a foundation for interactions and play-based learning which is supported by the curriculum. Using the math games, as well as the Story Labs and large group literacy blocks, the teacher is able to provide the students with varied opportunities to learn and grow, while having fun doing it!

Jennifer Gaulrapp, New Jersey
Years Coaching Tools:  3 years

1. What is your favorite thing about the Tools of the Mind program?
   • There are many things that I find beneficial with the Tools program, but I really think the focus on scaffolding is one of my favorites. Focusing on each student’s individual learning is extremely beneficial and the training really helps Tools teachers center student learning in the appropriate zone of development.
2. What impact has Tools had on the children in your program/district?
   • The Tools program has helped our students reach more mature levels of play. Knowing that this will help them achieve success in their future is very rewarding.

3. What impact has Tools had on the educators in your program/district?
   • Tools of the Mind has unified the teachers in our program. Following this curriculum and sharing ideas collaboratively has helped create a strong learning environment for all our students.

Nicole Lempa, New Jersey
Years Coaching Tools:  1 year

1. What impact has Tools had on the children in your program/district?
   • It has increased their play skills, self-regulation and executive functioning, as well as literacy skills.
2. What impact has Tools had on the educators in your program/district?
   • It has helped them to be creative and reflect on how their students are learning.
3. What makes a Tools of the Mind classroom different?
   • The classrooms can be turned into different places where the themes are based on students’ interests so that they can engage in developmentally appropriate practices to help them reach their full potential.

Jennifer Bednarczyk, New Jersey
Years Coaching Tools:  8 years

1. What impact has Tools had on the children in your program/district?
   • I think it has made our children more prepared for kindergarten and bridged the gap between preschool and kindergarten.
2. What impact has Tools had on the educators in your program/district?
   • It has made our educators more intentional in their teaching practices.
3. What makes a Tools of the Mind classroom different?
   • A Tools of The Mind classroom is a place of positive learning and allows the students to become more independent learners.

Nicole Hoyt, New Jersey
Years Coaching Tools:  4 years

1. What impact has Tools had on the children in your program/district?
   • Tools has afforded teachers the opportunity to tailor the learning experience to each individual student and their needs.
2. What makes a Tools of the Mind classroom different?
   • A Tools of the Mind classroom is filled with joy.
3. Can you share one story of how Tools has impacted your work as a coach/master teacher?
   • Tools has allowed me to continue to put play and developmentally appropriate practices at the forefront of what I do.

Jessica Sether, New Jersey
Years Coaching Tools:  Over 8 Years

1. What makes a Tools of the Mind classroom different?
   • Tools of the Mind classrooms have a strong focus on self-regulation. All of the activities are designed to develop cognitive, physical or social emotional self-regulation at the same time academic skills are being taught. Tools classrooms help children practice how to purposefully pay attention, ignore distractions, and be reflective while learning. Working on these underlying abilities simultaneously with academic skills better prepares children for future success.
2. Can you share one story of how Tools has impacted your work as a coach/master teacher?
   • Using Tools as both a teacher and a coach has reframed the way I think about how young children learn. It has given me a lens through which I can coach teachers to have better outcomes with their children. I have shifted my focus to include the development of mental tools in addition to the acquisition of facts and skills, always keeping in mind the child’s ZPD. Helping teachers focus their instruction with a very specific and individual target has made them more aware of the process, rather than just the end result. It has caused teachers to shift their mindset and think critically about what it takes to reach a goal, and what progress looks like.
3. What would you say to an administrator considering implementing Tools of the Mind?
   • Tools of the Mind is an innovative, cutting-edge program that works for all students regardless of prior experience, socio-economic status, or ability. There is something for every child on every level and the program meets the children where they are and grows with them. Tools has fantastic resources and support for teachers, coaches and administrators.