MY STORY

    Some people are hesitant to take advice until they know more about who is giving the advice. To that I say, GOOD! As a candidate, you will receive lots of advice, some good and some bad. Listen to everyone and then do what seems right for you and your practice. That is part of the "art of teaching". Everyone's portfolio should look different because everyone's practice is different. Do your best to show your strengths and not too many of your weaknesses. We all have weaknesses, so if you must discuss them, then you will have something to expound upon in your reflections.

    I did not start out as a teacher. I worked in the business world for over ten years. In the process of working for money, raising three fantastic children, and volunteering with the youth at my church, I felt a calling. I have to admit that if I had started teaching straight out of college, I probably wouldn't have stayed with it. Teaching is not easy, and I needed the experience of work and raising children to draw onto for strength. I am also a bit insecure, which is one reason that I pursued national certification. I obtained my teaching license as a non-traditional student. I began working on my masters degree before securing a full time teaching position. My first year as a teacher was 1992-1993. I was certified as a national board teacher in 2003, in AYA Mathematics. One major reason for going through national boards was to verify that I really was doing what a professional teacher should do.

    The certification process was the best professional development that I have ever experienced. I found myself questioning everything that I did with and for my students. It was the best year of teaching that I have ever had. However, it was not my best year of tending the house or planning meals. With an extra 400 hours of work, something had to suffer. If I could sum up the process in one word, the word is "WHY?". It was a process of analyzing everything that you do, and essentially becoming a student in your own classroom.

    After certification, I have vowed to help other candidates whenever possible. I have assisted the state department with orientation sessions. I have been an assessor for state funding. For two summers, I assessed for national boards. In Chicago in 2005, I was a national assessor for the assessment center exercises. In Tulsa in 2006, I was an assessor for a video entry of the portfolio. I joined the Arkansas affiliate of NBPTS, the Arkansas Association for Professional Teaching (AAPT) which is now Arkansas Teachers for National Board Certification (ATNBC). At UCA, I have been teaching their national board classes since 2005. UCA has a masters degree program for teachers that is great preparation for national certification, Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning (ASTL).

May you find your calling and pursue your dreams, and if you are a teacher then bless you for helping others obtain their dreams, too.