Crystal Culp, NBCT, Author at NBPTS | Shaping the profession that shapes America's future. - NBPTS | Shaping the profession that shapes America's future.

A U.S. Air Force veteran, Crystal Culp has 19 years of teaching experience, all in alternative education. In 2004, she was the first teacher nationwide to earn National Board certification while teaching in a juvenile detention facility, and renewed that certification in 2014. She works to ensure that other National Board candidates receive the support they need for successful certification, currently serving as a KEA regional coordinator for candidate support services. In 2012, Crystal was named the Kentucky Educational Collaborative for State Agency Children’s Teacher of the Year. In 2016, she was named KEA Teacher of the Year. She is currently serving on the Kentucky Department of Education Commissioner’s Teacher Advisory Committee.

National Board Candidacy: A Personal and District Priority

Crystal Culp, NBCTSeptember 12, 2016

In 19 years of teaching, I have sought out, chosen and participated in more than 500 hours of professional development. As I think about all of those decisions, the choice to pursue National Board Certification was the most important. Now, 12 years after my initial certification, it continues to have the greatest impact above all other experiences combined. Here’s why: In school, I was one of those students who always wanted to answer every question asked so that everyone knew that I knew the answer. As a teacher, this same tendency manifests itself, only slightly differently. For instance, I wrote…