Five more current Broken Arrow Public Schools teachers have earned their National Board certification according to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

Tiffany Gunther (Rhoades), Kit Parker (Rhoades), Trudy Garrett (Centennial), Sarah Bacon (Centennial), and Renae Smith (Park Lane) obtained their National Board certification this year.  46 BAPS teachers/counselors have completed their National Board certification since 2001 (though some of those 46 are now retired or teaching in other districts).

The five BAPS teachers are among the 296 from Oklahoma to certify in this process this year.  The state ranks 8^th nationally in the number of teachers achieving National Board certification this year and ranks 9^th in the total number of National Board teachers (2,599) that it has.

“Earning National Board certification is a difficult process and candidates don’t always succeed,” State Superintendent Sandy Garrett said.  “Teachers who volunteer for this type of detailed scrutiny of their teaching are worthy of distinction and should be commended for going above and beyond to further student achievement.”

Certification is achieved through a rigorous performance-based assessment that takes between one and three years to complete.

Rhoades teachers Gunther and Parker began the process in the early months of 2008 and spent many hours working together on the certification.

“The process was very time-consuming and energy-consuming,” Gunther said.  “Most Saturdays were spent at a coffee shop with my friend and co-candidate (Parker).  We would read, type and ask questions of each other.  Snow days and holidays were completely filled with National Board.  There were several evening 'get togethers' at our homes to work on our portfolios.  I didn't realize how much time and thought were really going into the process until I was finished and all of a sudden had my life back!”

Parker agreed.

“The process is definitely challenging.  It takes lots of time and lots of energy to complete.  What helped me was to be incredibly organized, and to decide in the beginning that I was going to look at this like a journey instead of a task to be done.  That way, I could enjoy parts of it along the way, and for me, there were some very enjoyable parts to completing this certification.”

The newly certified teachers also say the “process” helps them become better teachers which ultimately benefits their students.

“I’ve come to a much deeper understanding of Science and how to effectively teach scientific concepts to young people,” Bacon said.  “Because of the opportunity to collaborate with other Oklahoma teachers, I have learned and implemented new lab activities and assessment methods in my courses.  Increased knowledge and new techniques have increased student engagement and improved their thinking skills.  It has been very rewarding to watch my personal growth affect the growth of my students!”

Trudy Garrett echoed those comments.

“This process causes you to examine everything you do in your classroom, from the way you plan your lessons to the way you integrate assessment throughout each unit of study, to the way you provide feedback for your students, to the way you fit into the greater learning community.  It is the most intense and effective professional development I have ever experienced and that will have a profound affect on how I teach my students for the rest of my career.”

All of the hard work to achieve National Board certification pays off literally as a National Board Certified teacher in Oklahoma receives a $5,000 bonus from the state of Oklahoma each year for up to ten years.

“The stipend was the reason I decided to go for National Board certification,” Garrett said.

“I appreciate the monetary acknowledgement of our hard work from the state of Oklahoma,” Bacon said.  “It provides an excellent opportunity for teachers to increase their salary through professional merit-based pay. It was hard but well worth that effort.”

The bonus though was the not the only reasons the teachers chose to purse the certification.

“The money was definitely a big factor,” Gunther said. “But more than anything, the money made me realize what an honor and achievement it really would be (to obtain the certification).  I tend to be very driven when I feel passionate about something, so going for my National Board seemed like the next logical step in pursuing my continuing education.”

“The money that will come because I am certified is definitely an incentive to purse the process,” Parker said.  “However, I also wanted to purse a goal that would challenge my development as a teacher.  I wanted to become better at my craft, and I knew that by going through this process, I would have to answer tough questions to do that.  The National Board certification process is the ultimate professional and personal development for teachers.”

The newly National Board certified teachers said a big key is if possible to work with another teacher going through the process at the same time.  They are also unanimous in saying the end result is worth the incredible effort.

“The professional growth and personal rewards are worth every hour of hard, thought-provoking, work,” Bacon said.