Our Blog: The Standard

Ten years ago, after earning the maximum professional development credits and reaching the highest class in our teacher pay-scale, I began to wonder if there was more for me. How could teachers in my situation afford the cost of continued professional development without financial incentive? To think that my current path, my growth as a teacher, might stop there, made me uneasy. How would I continue to grow so I could provide the best for my students? Becoming an administrator did not appeal to me at the time, but building leadership skills did. So I began  volunteering to take on…

Some of my best memories as a child occurred when I was in elementary school.  Since I was a child, community has been a large part of my life. I attended a community school that played a significant role in my upbringing.  There were many activities and programs at school and church that encouraged participation.  I distinctly remember the happiness and presence of family, members of the community, and my peers when there were PTO meetings, school performances, or school carnivals.  There were always local leaders such as nurses, firemen, and policemen with “McGruff,” the crime dog, who assisted in…

As a National Board Certified Teacher, I feel empowered and propelled to advocate for the best possible civic education for all students in order to create informed and engaged citizens who feel confident to participate in civil discourse. Nothing is more exciting than having one of your students hurry to class to tell you that they registered to vote, or that they watched a debate on TV, or that they are changing their major because they have become passionate about the subject of political science and history. I get so excited when I see my students engaged and enthusiastic about…

What do you do when you and your students are researching a current American hero and they “go wild”? I work at an International Baccalaureate school where we promote taking action on societal issues. After much discussion with colleagues and students, I wrote a letter to inform Red Sox starting pitcher, Rick Porcello, of his behavior and its effects on my lesson plans and students. On opening day at Spring Training in Ft. Myers, I gave the letter to Porcello along with a gift bag of children’s books. Porcello read the first sentence of the letter and asked me to…

It had been a tough day. After the bell rang, I collapsed into my chair and reflected on the failures of the day.  The list was long. I had failed to communicate effectively with a student resulting in his mother telling me he thought I didn’t like him.  I failed to input my progress report grades properly and had to rewrite them all. I failed at checking in with a student on his weekly goals because I was preoccupied with students who were fighting during recess.  I failed to eat lunch during my lunch break because I was helping students with…

Exploring Project-Based Learning Through the Lens of National Board Standards After I achieved National Board certification in 2017, I found that I had “Standards Glasses” newly, and permanently, welded to my face. Every lesson, project, and unit prompted in me these tough questions: (How) does this suit my particular students? Is this appropriate at this point in the year? Is this worthy of precious class time? Will this be suitably challenging for my students? How will this contribute to my students’ overall learning? I guess you could say I’d internalized the Architecture of Accomplished Teaching. Asking these questions prompted me…

Above: My journalism student finally turned in his editorial. I didn’t lose anything by letting him turn it in late. This was an accomplishment for him and–even though it was almost a month late–he felt proud of himself. A couple of months ago, a high school senior taking graduation photos came up to me in the hallway and desperately asked, “Can you tie my tie?” I answered, “Nope. But I can teach you how.” “But the photographer is waiting,” he responded. I said, “Then you better learn fast.” One of the disappointing changes I’ve seen in my 23-year career in…

Because I believe so deeply that the National Board certification process makes great teachers even better, I’m constantly encouraging accomplished teachers to pursue certification. It’s not uncommon for teachers to deflect by saying they plan to pursue building administration and that becoming an NBCT won’t help them achieve goals of becoming a principal some day. I could not disagree more. As a teacher, it is highly motivating to be led by an administrator who took the time to achieve National Board certification. When a principal is an NBCT, their teachers know they highly valued teaching and worked hard to hone…

In 25 years of teaching I never used to wear my district-issued teacher ID badge. I figured everyone in my building knew who I was. It seemed unnecessary. Last year, however, I started wearing it on a daily basis. What changed? I recently served on former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s School Safety Task Force. As an NBCT (MC/Gen) and Michigan Teacher of the Year 2016, I have embraced opportunities to serve as an advocate and spokesperson for teachers. I was honored to join fellow educators, a high school student, a parent, members of the law enforcement community, and mental health…

After signing on at 5 AM on the National Board Score release day in November 2013 and seeing the words, “Congratulations! You are a National Board Certified Teacher!” I remember feeling the excitement, a sense of relief, and nervous for my friends who went through the process with me who would also be signing on bright and early that morning. Being a self-proclaimed data nerd, I couldn’t wait to delve into my detailed score report to see how I did on the different components. Through the course of working towards becoming certified, you pour your heart and soul into each…