InClass

Thinking of becoming a National Board Certified Teacher? This video might help you decide to take the jump.

One day a coworker approached Misha Freeman and suggested that she check out the National Board Certification process. The Arizona educator did just that.

“It’s one thing to have someone else tell you that you are really good at what you do, but it’s a whole other thing to stop and have to prove to yourself why what I did every day for my kids was making an impact,” says Freeman, a National Board Certified Teacher and math curriculum specialist for the Littleton Elementary School District.

Freeman is one of a handful of teachers across the country that shared their reasons for getting certified and how it helps the classroom.

“National Board is a way to grow as a teacher leader without leaving the classroom, and ultimately, that’s what makes National Board special,” says Erin Gilrein, a New York NBCT.

https://vimeo.com/115824328

National Board Certification offers the best educators a chance to advance in their field, in the same manner that other professional areas are able to. Teachers such as Jennifer Wolfe find the certification process helps participants grow. “Within the standards of the National Board they give you a template — a blueprint to really engage your kids, to learn to be the best teacher you can possibly be,” Wolfe says.

And the best part? The success of NBCT goes beyond the individual’s growth as a teacher. According to a recent study by Harvard University’s Strategic Data Project, students of NBCTs in the Los Angeles Unified School District made learning gains equivalent to an additional two months of instruction in math and one month in English language arts.

NBCTs are a network, more than 110,000 professionals strong, of advocates for the teaching profession. In Arizona, 1,161 teachers [link to Aug. 6 factoid] are certified. Learn more about Arizona’s network of NBCTs by visiting AZK12.org.

Find out more about the National Board Standards and the process of National Board Certification through Pre-Candidacy classes.