A Teacher’s Community: It Takes a Village
I can remember the many emotions I felt when I became a newcomer ESL teacher. Excited because I was going to have different languages and countries represented in my classroom. Thrilled because I was going to truly have an ESL teaching experience – which in San Antonio is hard to find. Amazed because friendships were…
Walking the Journey Together: A Couple of NBCTs
As a dual educator family, we decided pursuing National Board Certification together was the best way for us to stay committed and support each other through the process. It turned out to be the best decision we could have made! Carol’s Perspective During the month of December, my teammates and I were privileged to participate…
Back to the Future: Reflections on NBPTS Renewal
As a child of the ‘80s, I hold a particular fondness for the classic film series Back to the Future. You know the one: Doc Brown and Marty McFly cruising through time in that sweet plutonium-powered DeLorean. They hop back and forth from the past to the future in an effort to repair the present.…
National Board Certification: Taking Charge of Our Profession
Watching the reactions of teachers on my Twitter feed as they learned whether they had achieved National Board Certification this year brought wonderful memories of my own certification experience. I was in the generation of NBCTs who labored to complete the entire process in a year, and alternately hugged and cursed the blue shipping box.…
Congrats! You’re an NBCT – Now What?
Congratulations on certifying as a National Board Certified Teacher! There is nothing more rewarding than logging into the NBPTS website the day of score release and seeing that congratulations banner. If this is your second, or third attempt, then multiply that feeling by about 1000. You put in the hard work, and now you can…
Getting to the Top
How does a guy like me get to be named one of the top 50 teachers in the world out of 30,000 applications? I have been asking myself since I was honored by the Global Teacher Prize. It all starts with my wife and a suspended student. Nancy and I were married less than a…
A Powerful Three Letter Word: TRY
There is a poster hanging in my classroom with the quote, “You never know what YOU can do until you TRY.” Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try. I remind my students of this idea every day. As a child I was always referred to as a “tomboy.” This was because I could always…
Two Pine Bluff, Ark. Teachers Recognized for Renewing Board Certification
Teachers Carol Taylor and Margaret Nanak recently renewed their Board certification and were recognized by their local media. Taylor, a third grade teacher, certified in Generalist/Early Childhood. Nanak, a library media specialist, certified in Library Media/Early Childhood through Young Adult. Congratulations! Read more.
Persevering Through My Journey to National Board Certification
I wanted to love teaching. I wanted to be creative and enjoy watching my students learn. I had hit mid-career burnout, and I hated it! I needed to find my purpose and passion again. Was it possible? I knew about National Board Certification. Colleagues told me how it changed their teaching and they encouraged me…
