National Board Certified Teachers Reflect on Journey to Certification Status

   The website explains that National Board Certification is available in 25 certificate areas representing 16 different disciplines and four developmental levels and is applicable to most teachers in U.S. public schools. To become a Board-certified teacher, eligible candidates must demonstrate advanced knowledge, skills, and practice in their individual certificate area by completing four components: three portfolio entries and a computer-based assessment. Throughout the certification process, teachers will be able to apply the National Board Standards to their classroom practice and connect with other teachers pursuing certification.

   Carver, Davis, Emery, Mitchell, and Stinson choose to pursue National Board Certification for various reasons. For each teacher, the journey involved months and months of work, time away from families and activities, and a concentrated focus on completed the required elements.   

   “I began the journey towards certification in the 2016-2017 school year,” Carver said. “I chose this as an alternate route to obtain a Rank I.  I completed two components at that time and completed the final two components during the 2017-2018 school year. I submitted the final two components on May 5, 2018 and I didn't receive the results until November 30, 2018.  The almost seven months of waiting was excruciating. I knew what scores I needed in order to certify based on the scores from the first two components.”

   Carver explained that the process required many hours of work with the last pair of components the hardest.

   “Overall, the entire process was grueling,” Carver noted. “I am not sure of the exact amount of hours spent, but I would say over the two year span it was approximately 400 hours. During this time, I spent many countless days and nights sitting at a desk, analyzing, reflecting, and editing. The first year, there were many times when I wasn't sure this was the right process for me.  I thought maybe I should have just 

went the traditional route and got my Rank. However, when I received the scores from my first two components in December of 2017, I knew that I could finish it. The final two components were definitely the most time consuming, in my opinion.  I must have read over everything at least a hundred times, before I was able to hit the submit button.”

   In Davis’ case, just deciding to seek Board certification took some time. 

   “It actually took me two years of thinking about doing it before I actually signed up,” Davis noted. “My sister-in-law had gotten certified several years ago and she had told me how involved it was, so I knew going into it that if I decided to get certification it was going to be a lot of work. I would definitely say it was comparable to getting my master's degree. The advantage to getting certified, however, was that I was already doing in my classrooms much of what was required. I just had to think about it in different ways and write about it basically. I never really questioned if it was worth it while going through it, because I had already decided that the process was something I wanted to tackle despite how hard it might be.  There were components that were harder than others, and that I struggled with whether or not I was completing them correctly, had all the parts they wanted, and the evidence, etc. 

   Emery went into the process not realizing how her trek to certification would change her teaching and life.

   “In the beginning, I had no idea how this journey would impact me as a teacher and change me as a person,” Emery pointed out. “The National Board process forces you to break yourself (and your practice) into a million pieces then put yourself back together in a whole new way. It’s a vicious cycle of writing, editing, reflecting, analyzing, reflecting, writing, and analyzing. There were plenty of moments, while working late at night and on the weekends, when I seriously questioned its worth and my sanity.” 

    Mitchell noted that the time involved and the work was made easier by working with a partner.

   “I don't think there was any way to prepare myself for the time that was involved,” Mitchell added. “So much went into the process besides just the writing portion. I had to spend many hours brainstorming, planning, and researching. Working with another person made the process much more bearable. We held each other accountable for staying for a few hours once a week in the beginning and more as it got closer to deadline. I put in a lot of time at night after my son went to bed, and many on weekends as well.”

   Stinson made the decision to seek her certification even though she knew the work would be exhausting and require long hours.   

   “I first heard about National Board Certification on a teaching blog that I follow,” Stinson said. “I did some research on what becoming certified meant and you could say it became a bucket-list goal. Even after more than 13 years teaching, it was something I wanted to achieve. Teaching has always been my passion so this was naturally the next step in proving to myself that I am doing what I know is best for students. I tossed the idea around for a few years before I committed to the journey. I decided to attempt all four components in one year. I knew it would be a lot of work, but I had no idea that it would consume my life for more than 10 months. There is no way to put a number on how many hours I spent on each component. Hundreds doesn't seem to come close. I missed out on a lot of family time and activities that my kids were involved with. Was it worth it?  Absolutely.”

   The months and months of work led to the time for submission and then a waiting process---a process during which your work is evaluated and analyzed by officials with the National Board. Mitchell points out that the final step---literally submitting the finished product online---was one of the most stressful parts of the process.

   “The final moment of submission was very stressful,” Mitchell shared. “I was afraid I had left something out that may make my submission non-scoreable. Although everything was complete, I made myself wait until closer to submission time in case I remembered something I forgot to include. After finally submitting, I had to make myself stop thinking about it and push it out of my mind so I would quit stressing over it. With the results not being until December, as the new school year started I went ahead and started trying to think what I could do different this year with a different group of kids in case I had to resubmit.”

   Emery and Stinson echoed Mitchell’s comments. 

   “In May, after uploading all components, it took me three days to push the submit button,” Emery said. “Then, the wait---seven very long months of waiting for results. When I became certified, I immediately thought of my students that were on this journey with me last year. Three days later I arranged for them to come to my classroom for a celebration because I couldn’t have done this without their cooperation, encouragement, and hard work.”

   “The days leading up to the submission date was stressful,” Stinson added. “Those last edits caused me to question everything I had spent months on. It finally reached the point where I had to tell myself no more changes because every read would make me want to tweak just one more thing. I remember sitting at my desk in my classroom staring at the submit button with tears in my eyes just hours before the midnight deadline.  The first week or so after submitting in May was weird. I felt like I needed to be doing something because I had been so consumed with it for so long. After I moved passed those few weeks, I had to just put it out of my mind. I couldn't allow myself to think about the results. It was a long seven months of waiting.”  

   Davis used two words---relief and joy---to describe the moment she submitted to finish the process leading to the results.

   “When I finally hit the submit button for the last time it was definite relief,” Davis explained. “Much like taking the final of a college course, I was just so glad I was finally finished.  Waiting for the results 

was definitely the hardest; it was almost seven months before I knew whether or not I had certified.  I promised myself that I would not go back and re-read any of the components I had submitted once I turned them in. I didn't want to find mistakes and then spend months stressing out. It was a moment of complete joy to open up my account and see the fireworks and ‘Congratulations’ scrolling across my computer screen.”

   In late November of 2018, the five received notification that they had obtained the prestigious National Board Certification. The work and the wait had paid off. A career milestone was achieved and in the process, stronger educators emerged.

   “This wasn't just a title I wanted, this was proof that teaching was where I was meant to be,” Stinson said. “The National Board process allowed me the opportunity to prove my dedication to my student's learning.  It pushed me to be more reflective and intentional in my daily teaching practice.  I believe teachers should be life-long learners and despite this being the most difficult process I've ever attempted, it was truly the best professional development opportunity available.”

   “Getting my scores on November 30, made it all worth it,” Carver said. “Obviously, this process is intended to make one a better teacher, and I can definitely see how it does. I spent so much time reflecting on myself and my students during the certification process.  This allowed me to see areas of strength, as well as areas of growth, along with ways to make improvements. I would recommend National Boards to anyone that wants to take a good, long look in the mirror at your teaching practice and not be afraid to criticize yourself.”

   “In the end, it has absolutely been worth all of the sleepless nights, the stress, tears, and countless hours it took to accomplish this goal,” Emery explained. “This has been a milestone in my personal and professional growth.”

   “This is not something I could have done without support from family, friends, and colleagues,” Mitchell said. “Working with people through WKU and GRREC also made the process much more doable. Just the ability to bounce ideas off others who know the process was very helpful. I do not think at any point I wondered if it was worth it because I knew with NBCT I was completing work that was applicable to my classroom and the work was a way to better my practice while earning a Rank I. I believe this process made me more reflective of my practice and made me actually put thoughts I have had about my classroom into action. Ideals of things I had wanted to change or add, I actually did while completing the process. I look at things daily and think about being an effective teacher and what that should look like in my classroom. With NBCT you have five core principals of effective teaching and by going through this process, those are all things I continue to reflect on and compare myself to daily.” 

   “National Boards allowed me to reflect on my teaching practices,” Davis added. “Much like we want our students to understand the ‘why’ behind what they are learning, National Boards really focuses on the ‘why’ behind the lessons you are teaching. Why teach the lesson, what do you want the students to learn from the lesson, what would you change about the lesson, what did you expect to see, what did you actually see, and what did you learn from those results. I created some new lessons as a result, and tweaked some older lessons to include more rigorous tasks. All in all it was a positive experience and I would recommend seeking National Board certification to others.”

   Carver, Davis, Emery, Mitchell, and Stinson were recognized by the Kentucky Department of Education last February in Frankfort on their cheivement. The five were among 191 Kentucky teachers earning National Board Certification in 2018. The Allen County School District has approximately 20 educators who have earned National Board Certification status.