Opening My Door as a Candidate for National Board Certification
When I first started teaching, a veteran teacher told me that one of the best things about teaching is that as a teacher I could close my door and become my own boss, taking control of the room. I didn’t have to answer to anyone. For the longest time I kept my door closed. I was…
Variety is the Spice of Accomplished Teaching
While attending the National Board Leaders’ Academy in Las Vegas in early July, I found myself sitting with a distinguished group of educators as we enjoyed a lunch of New Orleans styled selections (being a native Louisianan, I dubbed the meal a respectable homage to Cajun cuisine). During the meal, we talked about the common…
Accomplished Teaching and the Growth Mindset
Do you ever have an “Ah Ha” moment, only to wonder what was possibly wrong with you that you didn’t make the connection before? For example, the first time I discovered that cream cheese and jelly are a fabulous combination on crackers. It was perfectly obvious that this would be a delectable duo, but yet…
Taking responsibility for professional practices
This blog post is the conclusion in a series of three posts suggesting we can push accomplished teachers even further with regard to some professional practices. Part One suggested that teachers must be more willing to meet students and families where they are – online. Part Two focused on the need to improve practices around…
Religious Tolerance: Teaching the Teachers
In June, educators from Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools made history when they completed an intensive academic study of religion. The course, which rewards MCPS teachers with three Continuing Professional Development credits, exposed teachers to the diversity of religious practice in the region and across the United States as a whole, while giving them the…
30% of Finalists for Agents of Learning Challenge are Board-Certified Teachers
CHICAGO, IL. — July 22, 2016 — Learning Forward and the National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future (NCTAF) today announced winners from the 12 finalist teams in its Agents for Learning challenge, a nationwide call to action designed to engage educator teams in advocating for the best use of federal funding for professional learning…
To Transform Schools, Slow Down
I’m a bit of a teacher-nerd in that one of my favorite parts of the job is lesson planning. I’m a notorious wheel-re-creator, as it is a captivating puzzle for me to build together just the right sequence of experiences to help my learners move from point-A to point-B. I don’t necessarily script out activities…
What They Don’t Seem to Understand about Certification
What they don’t understand about birthdays and what they never tell you is that when you’re eleven, you’re also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one. And when you wake up on your eleventh birthday you expect to feel eleven, but you don’t.…
NBCTs Take a Stand in Support of Educational Policies
From July 2-7, 2016, approximately 10,000 delegates convened in Washington, DC at the National Education Association (NEA) Representative Assembly (RA) to advocate for legislation to promote academic and social justice for all students. Among those present were members of the NEA NBCT caucus. These NBCTs work diligently at the RA to do the necessary work,…
