(by Don Meador, Allen County Schools, January 2, 2020)
Shelby Fisher, a science educator at the James E. Bazzell Middle School, is the school district’s newest National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT). Fisher learned in early December that she is one of 218 Kentucky educators that achieved NBCT status for the 2018-19 candidate cycle.
Fisher says the process to obtain her NBCT credentials has led to her looking at her teaching in a new light.
“This process has made me think about my practice more deeply,” Fisher said. “There are a lot of things that teachers do intuitively and based on previous experience. This process has made me slow down and thing about all the things I do intuitively or things I need to do and reflect on that better make small decisions so that I can make a better impact on my students. Overall, this means to me that I’m becoming a more effective teacher by thinking more intentionally and thinking about why I do the things I do for my students.”
Fisher graduated from Allen County-Scottsville High School in 2010.
Attending Western Kentucky University, Fisher obtained her Bachelor Degree in
Middle School Science and Education. In 2017, Fisher received her Master Degree
in Teacher Leadership from WKU with an endorsement in Gifted Education.
“The National Boards were my next step to learning as much as I could learn and being a better teacher,” Fisher added.
The process to become a NBCT involved many
long hours filled with intensive study, critical thinking, and writing.
“When I started last year (2018), I heard that it was going to be challenging and frustrating and that it would be hard,” Fisher noted. “All of those things are true but it’s very rewarding. It was more challenging than anything I have done in my education career. It’s very time consuming. I began in August (2018) and worked so hard. It got even worse after Christmas (2018). After I submitted everything in May, I had to study for my test, the final component which I took in June. I spent lots of hours behind the computer, preparing, analyzing evidence, and transcribing videos from where I video-taped my classes. For support, I realized on groups that I was in on Facebook and I have colleagues here at Bazzell that are National Board Certified Teachers. “
Fisher explained that the hardest challenge she
faced was making an adjustment in her mindset with regard to the extensive
writing involved in the year-long process.
“The hardest part for me was changing my mindset to think in the way they wanted you to write.” Fisher said. “It was a completely different type of writing from all the things I had written before. That was hard for me to get into. That was my struggle in the process. “
Fisher is unsure of her next professional
growth step but remains committed to grow as an educator.
“I haven’t decided what I want to do next and go from here,” Fisher admitted. “I am always eager to learn, do things differently, and incorporate new strategies. I know this is a jumping point for that. I want to continue to become a better teacher for my current students and the ones I have in the future.”
The Kentucky NBCT Network and the Kentucky
Department of Education will hold a special recognition ceremony for all new
NBCT educators on February 11 in Frankfort. The teachers will receive a
legislative citation and be recognized as a group on the floors of the Kentucky
House and Senate.