Episode 142 - Building Today's One Room School House: A Conversation with Courtney Williams

Teaching is hard work, but it's also deeply human work. Most educators are simply looking for practical support, thoughtful feedback, and tools that help them get a little better at what they do each day. That's where coaching and professional learning can make a real difference when it's done well.

That's what we're talking about on this episode of the Educators Among Us Podcast. This is a special episode, as Scott Barron, Chief Reinvention Officer with School Growth, is joined by Courtney Williams, CEO of TORSH, to talk about his path into education leadership and the work his team is doing to support teachers and school leaders.

They talk about how TORSH evolved from simple classroom video feedback into a broader coaching and professional learning platform. Why coaching in education has often been misunderstood. And why strong leadership matters when creating environments where teachers feel supported rather than evaluated.

Coaching helps develop and retain teachers, using technology and AI to support growth, without replacing human connection. It's how we invest in people to improve schools.

Takeaways

-Some of the most influential "educators" aren't in classrooms.

-TORSH stands for T O R S H ("Today's One Room Schoolhouse"). The name came from an early vision of tech helping teachers focus support where it's needed most.

-A key entrepreneurship lesson: solve the problem people are actually asking for, not just the one you're excited about.

-Coaching in education often carries a stigma ("you're struggling"), but strong leaders are reframing it as support, investment, and development.

-Teacher shortages are pushing systems to take coaching more seriously as a way to retain and grow educators.

-In other fields like sports and business, coaching is normal at the highest levels, while education sees coaching as there is something wrong.

-Accountability still matters: educators can't disconnect their work from whether students leave school with core skills.

-Schools are facing new challenges beyond academics. Students' social confidence and human interaction are changing fast.

-AI may make "a coach for every teacher" more realistic by supplementing human coaching with more frequent support and feedback.

Chapters:

00:28 Introduction

03:30 An Impactful teacher

05:36 About Courtney Williams

07:40 Achievements to be Proud of

08:28 About Torsh

12:58 Today's One Room Schoolhouse

19:28 Coaching Model

31:38 Advice for Entrepreneurs

36:00 Biggest Challenge for Education

49:58 Contact Torsch

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