An Exhilarating Process: National Board Candidate Learned A Lot About Herself

By Cecelia Schliepp
National Board candidate

I teach 8th grade at Lake Country School in Hartland and I am a candidate for National Board certification. I’ve been asked, “Why would you want to do that?”

Cecelia Schliepp helps 8th-grade student Erin Seifert with a writing assignment. - Photo by Bill Hurley -

“Why do you want to do all of that work for nothing?”

A year ago when I sent in my application, I asked colleagues, “Don’t you want to try it too? It’ll be something new… a challenge beyond a master’s degree.” The responses were, “You try it first. Let me know how it goes.”

The greatest hurdle for me was the money – $2,000. If WEAC and the Department of Public Instruction hadn’t offered subsidies, I could not have applied. When I went before my school board to request its support of my application, the members asked, “Why would you want to do that?” I replied:

“When teachers improve themselves, the greatest benefactors are the children they teach. I want to be the best teacher I can be for my kids.”

Thankfully, the board provided $500.

'Why did I want to do this?'

My National Board certification materials arrived the same day as fall parent-teacher conferences. I took an exhausted look at the special delivery box and thought, “Why did I want to do this?”

The binder of instructions was overwhelming. But as I flipped through the pages, I began to sense that this process might help me become a better teacher through analysis of my teaching practices and self-reflection.

Suddenly I felt charged and excited, but also quite alone. Were there other teachers in Wisconsin feeling the same way? I learned that there were 21 of us peppered throughout the state, attempting nine different certifications.

My questions and uncertainties grew as I delved deeper into the six portfolio entries. The NBPTS has an 800 number and an e-mail hotline, but nothing can take the place of working with others.

A godsend for me was the network that I developed with four teachers from the Milwaukee area. I also attended two WEAC-sponsored meetings in Madison, during which Andy Kuemmel and Laurine Karstens (Wisconsin’s only board- certified teachers) provided guidance and recommendations.

I cannot tell you how precious time was for me during this process. I was overwhelmed by the amount of work documenting my pedagogy. I had to pull it all together, in the right format, with the correct bar code, demonstrating the required standard, and postmarking it for receipt by April 15.

I still remember the clerk at the Post Office reassuring me my package would safely arrive in Texas the next day. I couldn’t bear the thought that “it” or “I” wouldn’t make it to our destination.

It's not over yet

And then it hit me … all of this work, this documentation, was professionalism in a package. I was validating what I do every day with my students, their parents, and the community. The completion of the portfolio meant that I’d reached the halfway mark. I still had to face the assessment in June.

The Assessment Center exercises are designed to complement my portfolio, validate that the knowledge and skills exhibited in the portfolio are accurate reflections of what I know and can do, and give me an opportunity to demonstrate other knowledge and skills.

“Why would you do that?” The answer for me by now was simple. I discovered through the portfolio process that I knew how to teach. I was required to examine my classroom methodology, curriculum choices, assessment practices, and the decisions that I make for my students in comparison to 14 standards of teaching excellence established by accomplished teachers. Once you look that deeply at yourself as a teacher, you celebrate your teaching in a new way.

Listen to me talk! I haven’t even received my scores yet. NBPTS candidates do not receive their scores until November. I’ve already thought about the moment that I’ll be holding the envelope in my hand. I really want to pass!

But even if I fail, nothing inside that envelope can take away what has happened inside of me.

The National Board certification process has reaffirmed for me what an incredibly important job I do, how well I do it, and how much I want other teachers to feel the same way. And so, my friend, you told me to try it first and let you know how it goes:

It’s awesome. Go for it!

Resources

• WEAC members interested in pursuing certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards may be eligible for a WEAC subsidy. WEAC is offering grants of $500 to a limited number of members who complete the NBPTS application process by December 1.
  http://www.weac.org/resource/nbpts.htm
• NEA Member Benefits is offering a low-cost loan to cover the $2,000 National Board assessment fee. NEA members, spouses and children are eligible. For information, call 1-800-603-3953. Applications can be taken over the phone.
• The State Department of Public Instruction has been awarded a grant from the NBPTS to support 50% of the $2,000 assessment fee for qualified candidates from Wisconsin. Candidates must complete the application process and forward it to DPI by November 1. For more information, contact William Gray at DPI, 608-267-3168 or william.gray@dpi.state.wi.us.
• Wisconsin teachers who pass the assessments and become National Board certified qualify for a $2,000 grant to defray registration and assessment costs and a $2,500 stipend in 2000-2001. Information on these grants is sent to teachers after they become certified.
• The NEA has a Web site that answers 12 basic questions.
  http://www.nea.org/helpfrom/growing/certfaq.html
• The National Board’s own Web site is filled with valuable information about the certification process.
  http://www.nbpts.org/nbpts/

Posted October 25, 1999