A Shout-Out to National Board...

I had an excellent college experience, and it taught me a lot. There are days I would willingly go back and relive the days when I thought 10:30 classes started too early, had a part-time job that paid me roughly $125 every two weeks and was more than enough spending money for me, and had my very own “gas card” in my parents’ names that was not just for emergencies but for everyday use. At that point in my life, I didn’t understand the beauty (or the rarity) of a full tank of gas. While in college, I made some of my very best friends that I have in this life (who better hope they're reading this blog) and learned a ton. I can break a poem down to its barest bones, and I have an appreciation of fine literature that was instilled in me by the greatest English department that has ever existed.

In some ways, college prepared me for a career in teaching. In other ways, it absolutely did not. I knew pedagogy, classroom management, and how to create my rules so my students actually thought they had done it. I knew how to write a rubric and plan a novel unit. I knew how to grade things and (sort of) compute a grade. So what didn’t I know? I didn’t know how to react to the death of a student. I didn’t know how to respond when a student came to me with tales of a home life so harsh it left me in tears and calling my parents to thank them. I didn’t know that every child wouldn’t have access to a computer at all times. I didn’t know I would teach until 3 p.m., work in my room until 6 p.m., and then lug home things to work on until I went to bed. I didn’t know the value of comfortable but stylish shoes. And the thing I used to be really embarrassed to admit? I didn’t know how to reflect on what I was doing in the classroom and revise it accordingly. The learning curve for a new teacher is huge, and that is one thing I hope I never forget, no matter how long I serve in this profession.

So I never quite nailed the concept of being a “reflective practitioner” in my pre-service years. I could write up a reflection to hand in for an assignment with the best of ‘em, but I never delved beyond that point. In my first few years of teaching, I tried. I really did. I would plan a lesson, teach it, fall flat on my face, cry, and wonder what had gone wrong. Many times, I never figured it out, and so my great idea would be canned. In my early days, this was the most efficient way of “fixing” a failed lesson. I didn’t know any better, so I reinvented the wheel probably no less than 1,000 times.

In my third year of teaching, our district’s National Board liaison came to me with information about Take One, a National Board program that allowed teachers in their third year to complete one video entry for National Board. I was a little squeamish at first until I learned I could “bank” the entry if I passed it. Take One taught me a lot about myself. I learned that I am a procrastinator, and that there is nothing worse than waiting until the last possible second to pack that box. The process taught me that I can do difficult things, and sometimes, I can do them well. Through the Take One process, I learned the value of a “mental health day,” and that they are real and we do need them! Most importantly, this process taught me about who I was as a teacher and helped me get to where I wanted and needed to be for my students. It helped me analyze every single thing I did in the classroom and gauge its impact on my students, but instead of just trashing every activity that fell flat, it taught me to revise them and work them out in a way that was meaningful. I was so excited when I passed my Take One, and that gave me the oomph I needed to go through with the rest of the National Board process. Though I thought I’d learned my lesson about procrastinating and waiting until the last minute, the whole National Board process taught me that I hadn’t. I’m not proud to say that I mailed my box at the post office with four minutes to spare. I’m pretty sure that anxiety alone took approximately five years off my life, but I am proud to say that as of November, I’ve joined the NBCT community.

National Board was the single best professional development I’ve ever had, and it was tailored specifically to my individual needs. I am a better teacher because of my journey, and now I can reflect on my practices for a reason instead of just completing an assignment. If you have not taken the National Board journey, this is your year. Just a few weeks ago, our National Board Program Director at CERRA, Jenna Hallman, found out that this is the last year for federal subsidy funds to offset the cost to apply for the National Board process. There is free money sitting in a pot waiting for teachers like you who are ready to finally commit to this initiative. If you’ve ever thought about it, now is the time. I assure you that there are few things you can do that will strengthen your teaching practice than National Board! If you are an NBCT, please share your journey or words of encouragement in the comments!