NBCT Challenges....
I'm looking for a little help from those of you who are NBCTs. I'm writing a piece about National Board Certification that focuses on some of the challenges that NBCTs face after certification.
One of the things that I know that I've faced is that since certifying, I've had any number of opportunities to lead: either by providing professional development, supporting struggling colleagues, mentoring new teachers, or serving on school or district committees.
And what is interesting is that many people expect me to be an expert in all of these areas because of my Board Certification. They assume that because I am a NBCT, I will fill leadership and professional roles without any kind of struggle or challenge. To many, NBCT means more than just accomplished teaching. It means automatic accomplishment in all areas.
But honestly, I'm not accomplished as a professional developer or a "teacher of teachers." Working with other adults is quite different from working with the 12 year olds that roll through my classroom every day...requiring skills that I haven't mastered and that weren't necessarily the focus of my certification portfolio. While I appreciate (and often accept) the opportunities to influence that have come as a result of Board Certification, I wonder if I'm truly qualified some of the roles that I'm asked to fill.
Has anyone else ever felt this disconnect?
I guess I have three questions that I want to focus on in my article:
1. What kinds of roles have you had the opportunity to fill since certifying. Have you struggled with any of these roles despite the expectation that you would succeed? How did you cope with that? What strategies did you use to master the new skills required to succeed in these new roles?
2. Do you think that Board Certification carries an obligation to lead and to teach other teachers? And do we learn skills while working through the certification process that can translate into new roles as professional developers and lead teachers?
And finally:
3. Have any of your schools or districts taken proactive steps to support the professional growth of NBCTs after certification? What have those steps looked like? How can administrators, central office staff members, and other professional organizations help to support NBCTs as they grow as leaders?
Interesting questions, huh?
Looking forward to your responses!
I'm looking for a little help from those of you who are NBCTs. I'm writing a piece about National Board Certification that focuses on some of the challenges that NBCTs face after certification.
One of the things that I know that I've faced is that since certifying, I've had any number of opportunities to lead: either by providing professional development, supporting struggling colleagues, mentoring new teachers, or serving on school or district committees.
And what is interesting is that many people expect me to be an expert in all of these areas because of my Board Certification. They assume that because I am a NBCT, I will fill leadership and professional roles without any kind of struggle or challenge. To many, NBCT means more than just accomplished teaching. It means automatic accomplishment in all areas.
But honestly, I'm not accomplished as a professional developer or a "teacher of teachers." Working with other adults is quite different from working with the 12 year olds that roll through my classroom every day...requiring skills that I haven't mastered and that weren't necessarily the focus of my certification portfolio. While I appreciate (and often accept) the opportunities to influence that have come as a result of Board Certification, I wonder if I'm truly qualified some of the roles that I'm asked to fill.
Has anyone else ever felt this disconnect?
I guess I have three questions that I want to focus on in my article:
1. What kinds of roles have you had the opportunity to fill since certifying. Have you struggled with any of these roles despite the expectation that you would succeed? How did you cope with that? What strategies did you use to master the new skills required to succeed in these new roles?
2. Do you think that Board Certification carries an obligation to lead and to teach other teachers? And do we learn skills while working through the certification process that can translate into new roles as professional developers and lead teachers?
And finally:
3. Have any of your schools or districts taken proactive steps to support the professional growth of NBCTs after certification? What have those steps looked like? How can administrators, central office staff members, and other professional organizations help to support NBCTs as they grow as leaders?
Interesting questions, huh?
Looking forward to your responses!
3 Comments:
1.
In New Jersey, we had such a low number of NBCTs after I certified that I went into candidate support. I was not very good at candidate support, and at the time, especially after the candidates found out that they did not earn their National Board certification, I felt horrible. Fortunately, there are some very talented support people in my state and I was asked to join the NBPTS Board of Directors which meant I could not work with candidates.
It was during my tenure on the board that I realized being a NBCT does not mean I can do everything well. I learned I need to be honest with myself by focusing on the problems in education that really inspire and interest me and to lead from that place.
2.
I don’t believe in obligations. I believe in inspired service. Obliging NBCTs to lead and teach other teachers does not mean they are equipped with a vision or a desire to improve the quality of learning in our schools. Mandating and forcing teachers to do something does not guarantee a quality learning experience. The most important question for NBCTs to ask is: How do I become a better instructor so I can insure my students are learning? How do I create the kind of school that will support me as I become a better instructor? Once they find an answer to these questions then they need to apply the same skills they used to earn a NB certificate to these new scenarios.
And finally:
3.
This summer, NJEA held a conference for NJ’s NBCTs and the theme was “What next?” It was a powerful question. The conference asked the NBCTs to really look at all the options in education, nationally and locally and to really think about issues that inspire them. It gave the NBCTs the opportunity to accept the fact that we are not designed to be excellent at everything, and that in order to create a more collaborative and productive school culture, we need to focus on areas that are of interest/concern to us. A summary of the conference was on www.bcee.org if someone would like to learn more. Donna Custard is the person to contact.
Since becoming NBCT in 1999, I have taken on a number of leadership roles in my district, many of which relate to supporting candidates for National Board certification. In 2001, I created our first Candidate Support Seminar and facilitated that for three years. I currently work as the National Board Program manager for my district. My two main roles in that position are coordinating support for National Board candidates and coordinating the leadership efforts of our 244 NBCTs. The biggest challenge I faced at the beginning (back in 2001) was learning how to work effectively with adult learners in a high-stakes environment. I continue to work on refining my abilities to support adult learners. The biggest challenge I face now is acting as a liaison between district leadership and the NBCTs. There are some strong personalities out there!
I'm responding a bit later than you requested, but here goes:
Lori Franklin, Library Media Specialist, Olathe, KS
1. Since certifying (2004, ECYA Library Media)I've discovered that the NBCT "title" has opened many doors for me. I applied for and was granted a stint as State Team Leader for the NBPTS national conference in Washington, D.C. This gave me some tremendous networking opportunities. I also became a formal mentor (after a one-year break) to others seeking certification. I'm now the State Farm NBPTS liaison for Kansas and am in the process of developing outreach programs with our state network: National Board Certified Teachers - Kansas (NBCT-KS). I stepped into these roles with an attitude of learning as I progressed. I developed skills that I didn't have by jumping into each project and trying new things and then evaluating what was useful and what didn't work. I'm still learning!
2. I absolutely believe that becoming a NBCT implies service to the professsion. This means mentoring (informally and formally), providing informational and instructional workshops for candidates, seeking out potential canidates and encouraging them to begin the process, speaking at conferences about the process and benefits, publishing articles about becoming an NBCT and especially being a leader in your own building. Let's fact it - many of us may be the only NBCT in our entire building. It is up to us to model what accomplished teachers think and do. Indeed, I do see myself as a teacher of students, teachers and community members. I am applying for a PhD program so I can continue sharing and providing instructional content for others who seek out careers as school library media specialists.
3. Our district, per se, does not take steps after certification has been accomplished to encourage the "what next" brainstorming. We are called upon to help mentor candidates. We provide inservice presentations about the process and navigating applications for stipend. Our district helps tremendously with financing the process and also provides some time off (with subs) for work on the portfolios. The NBCT-KS network and I are working closely to connect with NBCTs to determine their gifts and talents and how we can carry the certification step further. This will also play into support for renewal candidates.
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