I just received the following message from Trevor I., a NB candidate in Sumter, and thought that I would share his thoughts on the NB process (with his permission of course). I met Trevor at and Awareness meeting arranged by the district NB liaison and am thrilled to hear that his box is in the mail!
Last Saturday - March 31 - I packaged the contents of my portfolio & mailed it off to the National Boards scoring center in San Antonio. Attached, you'll find a few pictures as the morning-long process unfolded with the finished product and a few special ladies who were on hand to offer their assistance (my mentor, mother, and aunt). Before devoting my attention to the second part of the NB Process, the examination, it is with due diligence that I share with you - my support group - the following reflection as I bring closure to the first half of this yearlong journey.
I have participated in numerous professional development activities in my five years of classroom teaching experiences. My participation was mandated in some, but, for some, I purposefully sought out my inclusion! However, none surpasses the role that the National Boards for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) process has positively impacted my direct growth as a teacher and learner and advanced my students' learning. Many of you reading this email are teachers and, therefore, appreciate the inherent value of reflective practice. However, I sought out many of you with no ties to the profession to read through several of my entries to ensure that what was written could be visualized and was communicated with clear, consistent, and convincing evidence. Generally speaking, teachers generally have little practice in description, analysis, and reflecting, since it is not part of the daily (coerced) practice of teaching. Back in my undergraduate studies at USC, I learned that thinking analytically about teaching is complicated because teaching itself is complicated. Yet, through the actions of some of my first mentors - Sherry B, Marilyn I, & Jay B - I became convinced that reflection leads to better action and that reflective teachers are, consequently, more effective teachers.
The National Board certification process has simply been the most intense and and influential personal & professional development activity that I have been engaged in. The NBPTS process recognizes that teaching is an art and that to grow as artists, teachers need opportunities to ponder, look, and listen in order to effectively scrutinize their teaching practice. The first part of this journey was the portfolio, which is developed around a highly structured set of four entries that allowed me the opportunity to present my actual classroom practices over a defined period of time. Through four entries specific to my domain as a middle school science teacher, I chose artifacts that document my teaching "prowess" and wrote extensive commentaries, analyses, and interpretations about the work I am engaged in with scholars in my classroom and beyond. Reflection is a critical aspect that was embedded in each entry prompt.
This entire process stimulated a personal, reflective inquiry into my own teaching practice and has not only advanced my own learning but, more importantly, the learning for my scholars. I thank you for the role you played - whetherdirect or indirect - in helping me to complete the first half of the National Boards journey. My National Boards teaching examination is scheduled for Thursday, June 14. I will keep you updated in the coming months.
My best,
Trevor
