One Out of Eleven

Imagine my surprise this morning to wake up and see this on our neuroblastoma listserv! I don't know how someone found it, but........In December, our favorite newspaper reporter - Jill Goshe, told me that she would be writing a story about obtaining my second National Board Certification. She told me she was waiting to find out from NBPTS exactly how many teachers had ever earned a second one. When I recently found out that there are only eleven of us, I was really surprised. I knew the number had to be small (who else could be that crazy to attempt it and to actually make it - TWICE?!) but I didn't expect it to be that small! She called and interviewed me Sunday evening in Arizona. She told me she would be running the story on Monday, but she didn't tell me it would include my picutre and be a front page, top story. Imagine my surprise when we stopped on the way home from the airport yesterday at a store to buy extra copies and I saw that. Shayla was a little hoot when she read the headline. "Mom, that's really great! What did you do?"

Teacher is one of 11 in the U.S.

By Jill Gosche, jgosche@advertiser-tribune.com
POSTED: January 7, 2008

A local teacher is finding herself in elite company.

Angela Thomas, a seventh-grade language arts teacher for the Seneca East Local School District, is one of 11 teachers in the United States who have achieved two certifications through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Thomas, who is in her 19th year of teaching, achieved a certification in early childhood/generalist in 2004. In December, she was certified in early adolescence/English language arts.

Thomas said she thought she would be a hypocrite if she didn’t attempt a second certification when she became eligible.

“I felt so strongly about the first one, improving my practice as a teacher,” she said. “I felt I grew as a result of the process.”

James Minichello, media relations manager for the board, said National Board certification is the most prestigious credential a teacher can earn. He said 11 teachers have two certificates, and two teachers have achieved three.

“National Board certification is part of a growing national movement that advances education reform,” he said. “The National Board certification process makes accomplished teachers even better.”

Minichello said the certification process takes between 200 and 400 hours, on average, and has two parts. Teachers build a portfolio and complete online assessment exercises, he said.

“The teacher puts together their own written analysis and reflection, their student work samples, documented accomplishments of their work outside the classroom … and we also have the teachers videotape themselves in the classroom,” he said.

“In addition to that, the teacher must participate in online assessment exercises that demonstrate their subject-matter expertise, and they are given six exercises and are allowed 30 minutes each to answer.”

Thomas, a 1986 Seneca East graduate, said she received the early childhood certification — for ages 3-8 — in 2004 when she taught kindergarten part time.

She said she needed a full-time position because her daughter, Christi, was battling cancer, and she saw a posting for a full-time junior high language arts position.

When Thomas started the job in August 2004, she became eligible to pursue her second certification, aimed toward ages 11-15. She said she waited to apply until May 2006, when she thought Christi’s health was relatively stable. Christi succumbed to neuroblastoma about four months later.

Thomas said she thinks she had about 400 hours of work in the process when she completed it in April 2007. She said she believes she’s a stronger and more effective teacher than when she started the certification process.

“Everything you do with National Board, you have to tie it to how you improve student learning,” she said.

According to the board’s Web site, the total of certified teachers is nearly 64,000. Ohio has more than 2,700.

Minichello said officials are pleased nearly 8,500 teachers achieved certification this year, including 135 in Ohio.

“It’s a signal that the teacher quality movement in Ohio’s classrooms as well as America’s (classrooms) made a substantial gain, because National Board certification is the most prestigious credential a teacher can earn,” he said.

Thomas said she will start her Ph.D. dissertation in the area of National Board certification next year. She follows the motto, “Those who love teaching teach others to love learning.”

She said she thinks teachers sometimes get so caught up in their subject matter, they forget they’re teaching children and that they should put people first.

“I love what I do,” she said. “Every day is different. When you’re dealing with people and you’re dealing with young impressionable people … you’re trying to model everything in a positive way that will allow them to grow.”

On the Web:

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards:

http://http://http'>http://http://http://www.nbpts.org