Developing Specialized Knowledge by Pushing Myself as a Reader
Last year, while mentoring a second-year middle school English teacher, I complimented her knowledge of books for young adults. I was impressed by the expertise she demonstrated when making personal book recommendations to each of her seventh graders, helping them develop into successful independent readers. I asked her how she knew about all the different…
Shifting the Culture
Visionary. Advocate. Transformative Leader. These words were on the screen Tuesday morning at the National Board Academy in Scottsdale, AZ, as Dr. Mike Lee asked us to consider the small steps, the decisions of individual teachers at their schools, that are necessary to transform our professional culture broadly. These particular words were widely used by people…
Aligning Learning and Standards
Editor’s Note: Luann Lee is an NBCT teaching chemistry and AP/dual credit chemistry at Newberg High School in Oregon. She is a founding member and current president of Oregon Accomplished Teachers, Oregon’s National Board network. The views expressed in this blog are her own. Standards are changing, again. Presently, both my state and my district…
My Struggle with Classroom Data
Editor’s Note: Mark Gardner, NBCT, is a high school English teacher in southwest Washington state working in a hybrid role that also allows him to work on professional development experiences for teachers. The views expressed in this blog are his own. I am not afraid of numbers. Yes, I teach high school English, but was raised…
National Board Remembers Visionary President and CEO Ronald Thorpe
ARLINGTON, VA—July 1, 2015 — An education leader who called for elevating teaching to the ranks of esteemed professions such as medicine and engineering, Dr. Ronald Thorpe, president and CEO of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, lost his battle with cancer today. “Visionary is an overused word, but in Ron’s case, it’s the…
Talking Back to Silence: My Pledge to Speak on Community Violence
Editor’s Note: Jennifer Dines, NBCT, is the Special Education and Student Services Coordinator at the Gardner Pilot Academy K-8 School, a Pilot School in the Boston Public Schools. The views expressed in this blog are her own. I live in Roslindale – a sleepy residential neighborhood in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. There are three…
What are your #NBCTtunes?
Editor’s Note: Joanna Schimizzi, NBCT, is a biology teacher in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District in North Carolina. The views expressed in this blog are her own. Is your classroom a headphones-free zone? Headphones-free zone!! When students walk into my classroom, they know they should never ask if they can listen to headphones while they are working.…
For Whom the (School) Bell Tolls: What Calls You to Teaching?
Editor’s Note: Corey Oliver is a National Board Certified Teacher in English Language Arts. He teaches 7th grade English in the Conway Public School District in Conway, Arkansas. The views expressed in this blog are his own. "Mr. Oliver, if you find a job you love, you’ll never work another day in your life.” Although…
A Teacher’s Evolution through Board Certification
Editor’s Note: Luann Lee is an NBCT teaching chemistry and AP/dual credit chemistry at Newberg High School in Oregon. She is a founding member and current president of Oregon Accomplished Teachers, Oregon’s National Board network. The views expressed in this blog are her own. Most teachers write notes in lesson plans or course units about…
Do You Have What It Takes?
Editor’s Note: Java Robinson, NBCT, teaches second grade in Montgomery County, Md. She supports her colleagues in pursuing and achieving Board certification as a coach, recruitment coordinator and candidate support provider. She is also a Teach Ambassador, working to recruit minority candidates into the teaching profession. The views expressed in this blog are her own.…
