Why my students’ AP scores matter. And why they don’t.
Editor’s Note: Ray Salazar, NBCT, teaches high school English in Chicago Public Schools and is an award-winning blogger. The views expressed in this blog are his own I fight the obsession with testing and over-testing in our classrooms. Yet, given the choice, I choose to teach AP English Language every chance I get. After months…
We Can Do Better
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.…
If you see her, tell her
The year was 1981. The place was Tempe, Arizona. The shorts were corduroy. The socks were tubed. The hair was feathered and, according to my birth certificate but not necessarily my maturity or performance, I was ready for sixth grade. I’d originally come to Fuller Elementary near the end of 3rd grade, one week before…
National Board Partners with MS Dept. of Education to Boost Early Literacy Instruction
National Board Partners with Mississippi Department of Education to Boost Early Literacy Instruction for Mississippi’s K-3 Students ARLINGTON, VA — The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, with the support of a $2.4-million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), will work to strengthen literacy instruction and outcomes for students across Mississippi in the critical early elementary…
How I taught my high school students to analyze a complex text
Editor’s Note: Ambereen Khan-Baker, NBCT, teaches AP Language and Composition in Rockville, Md. As an Ambassador for the Montgomery Institute, a partnership between NEA and Montgomery County Education Association, she works with teacher leaders across the country on collaborative problem solving to improve the quality of teaching and learning. The views expressed in this blog…
The Lasting Impact of National Board Certification
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. It has now been ten years since my students first got used to the…
A Big Step Forward for ESEA Reauthorization
The last iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), aka No Child Left Behind (NCLB), was slated to be reauthorized in 2007. Everyone agrees that the law needs to be updated, and it seems like the time is ripe. At the beginning of the year, the Senate Education Committee indicated they would take…
Wanted: Creative and Smart People
Editor’s Note: Jane Fung, NBCT, is a first-grade teacher in Los Angeles. The views expressed in this blog are her own. “If you’re a creative, smart young person, I don’t think this is the time to go into teaching unless an independent school would suit you.” When award-winning educator Nancie Atwell recently uttered these…
Am I an NBCT Fanatic?
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. When the NCAA basketball tournament comes each spring, my husband becomes a March Madness fanatic, but I recently realized that there’s something I’ve become obsessed with: encouraging other teachers to…
