The Difference Between Coaches and Teachers
Coaches often teach and teachers often coach. However coaching and teaching are far from the same thing.
- Coaches ask questions to help people come to their own conclusions
- Teachers ask questions to verify a student’s comprehension
- Coaches understand what makes a person unique and learns how to adapt the coaching to fit that uniqueness
- Teachers understand the lessons they want to teach and the students must learn how to adapt to how the teacher teaches those lessons.
- Coaches show people how to hold themselves accountable using goal setting and measuring progress.
- Teachers hold students accountable using testing and grading.
- Coaches help people achieve their goals by showing them how to behave in a new way.
- Teacher help students learn new lessons by showing them how others achieved the goal of the lesson.
- Coaches encourage you to find your own way
- Teachers show you the way
In short, very few people are good at both coaching and teaching. Just because someone has the title of a coach or teacher doesn’t mean they’re really a coach or teacher. Coaches and teachers can only be found in deeds not in titles. Therefore, you must be careful to never rely on those who teach when you really need a coach, and to never rely on those who coach when you really need a teacher.