I will use an education buzz word (phrase?) to outline the
supports that I had throughout my NBTC process. Utah isn’t a huge advocator of
National Board Certification. I taught for 5 years and never heard of it. I (now)
know that a few teachers were working on their NBTC my first year of teaching,
but still, it didn’t register what they were doing and no one really talked
about it. Other states make a big deal out of it. My job applications out of
state included a question asking if I was National Board Certified. (Sadly
there wasn’t a box labeled, “Currently working on certification” – I feel like
that would have given me some satisfaction for the many hours I had
slaved away at that point.) Therefore, working toward such a certification in
Utah meant that my NB contacts were quite minimal. Still, the contacts I had
were part of my story and I am grateful for each of them. I have given them
nicknames that suit who they are:
State NBTC Rep: We actually met in San Diego at ECET2 and
she was a wonderful go-to person for NBTC questions and contact references. She
read one of my papers and gave me some feedback, but was extremely busy as the
state-wide representative for National Board Certification. It was nice
personally knowing someone who had such extensive knowledge of the NBTC process
though.
Herr Ghost Teacher: There was a German teacher at my feeder
high school who had received his NBTC and renewed it at least once. He did his
certification in a different content area, but it was still nice to have a
close advisor in my district. He read several papers and gave me some great feedback.I
specifically remember his trademark feedback was usually about if I could be
more reflective. Some feedback on my third component included, “I
guess there is never a way to be too reflective. What you have is good,
but in this process, we are always haunted by 'is it enough.' For your own piece of mind, I would think through each reflection one more time
and ask yourself the question: could I give one more example of reflection in
this process?”
Although I never actually met him (and still haven’t), he
took his own, unpaid time, while also teaching a full course load, to review my
writing and give me feedback. One of his final comments included, “I
think that you have done great work. With some more tightening, I think
that you are going to have extremely outstanding components!”
Those little positive reinforcements meant more than I could
have told him. Still, you need more than one reviser in such a process. I
needed more eyes to look at my papers!
Sunshine Teacher: When I was getting my undergraduate degree
at BYU, I was a para-educator at a charter school in Orem. The main special
education teacher there was an inspiration to me and I remember she received a
door decoration during Teacher Appreciation Week that dubbed her the “Sunshine
Teacher.” I always thought that was appropriate because she really did light up
a room. In my young, undergraduate eyes,
she was everything I wanted to be. (In my older, post-graduate eyes, she is
still everything I want to be. That woman is truly an advocator of education
and has traveled the country presenting, meeting with government officials, and
using her voice to impact education. She is a mom of three, runs marathons,
teaches online, conducts an active Twitter platform, and basically the list
goes on.) She received her NBTC on her first attempt. That’s a fairly
remarkable accomplishment – one that maybe only those who have worked on the
certification can appreciate. I corresponded with her a little bit and even met
her in her home to ask some questions, but I still needed more.
Fairy Godmother: This teacher worked at my
school the year before I got there, then started her admin licensing program
and worked various jobs in the district before landing an administration
position at an elementary school. We connected early on in my journey, but we
didn’t really meet up until April. We met at her school on Saturday or in the
evening two or three times. She sat down with me, went through the instructions
line-by-line and discussed what they meant. She read my paper(s) with me right
then and there and asked clarifying questions about how I could reflect deeper
and more concisely. I would leave feeling overwhelmed by the work still ahead,
but grateful that I had a clearer picture of what I needed to improve on. She
also received her certification on her first attempt and was such an empathetic
listener. One day, by a stroke of brilliancy and divine inspiration, she remembered
a friend she had met several years ago who actually had experience scoring
components.
NATIONAL BOARD EXAMINER EXTRAODANAIRE TEACHER: When we made
that connection and got ahold of this woman, I had approximately two weeks left
until the components were due. This Examiner Extraordinaire spent FOUR HOURS
one Saturday reviewing my papers. She sent me detailed, functional feedback and
it was amazing. How had I just found her??? If I had this contact months prior,
my entire experience would have been different. Still, I have to put in a plug
for National Board-Certified teachers – they are so willing to help and
support. It is an amazing network to be a part of.
I talked to a few other teacher-friends about my experience
– some of them had passed and some of them had failed and never tried again. I
realized quickly how unique each person’s journey was. As mentioned before, a
large part of my struggle was deciphering the instructions. During my master’s
program, I had a thesis chair and committee. I had experts to guide and direct
me. I did most of my certification independently and it was horrible and
lonely. Yes, the people mentioned above were very helpful, but they couldn’t
provide the extent of help I craved (and desperately needed). My friends who
had never received certification (and were majorly turned off to the idea after
witnessing my nightmare) consoled and encouraged me as best they could, but I
needed answers. I needed to talk to educators who had endured what I was going
through and those resources were limited. Albeit, I am grateful for the people
who became part of my personal NBCT story.
No comments:
Post a Comment