National Board Conversations: Recent Episodes
National Board For Professional Teaching Standards
This podcast takes listeners coast to coast in discussion with National Board Certified Teachers who offer their advice and insights into the process. Each episode is an exploration into the amazing journey that these teachers have undertaken to get nationally board certified. We hope this podcast acts as a tool for prospective candidates for the National Board Certification while answering questions and concerns that candidates may have.
Candidate Conversations by the National Board is a chance to speak with educators who are currently on their National Board journey. Danielle Brown, NBCT, continues our school year-long journey with Keke Powell! She is a second-grade teacher in Texas and is super fun and engaging! In this episode, we catch up with Keke after submission and how she will be enjoying the summer.
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In this inspiring episode, we sit with Joe Evans, a National Board Certified Teacher in Adolescent and Young Adult Science. Currently teaching AP Biology, Biology, and Forensics, Joe shares his powerful 28-year teaching journey marked by persistence, professional growth, and a relentless pursuit of accomplished practice.
Joe initially sought National Board certification because he craved meaningful feedback on his skills while teaching in the smallest district in his state. Though he didn't pass on his first attempt, Joe didn't let that define him. He proudly keeps that notification letter to remind students that failure is part of the path to success.
After doubling down on his efforts, Joe achieved certification. Now at 64 years old and the sole NBCT in his district, he continues raising the bar - recently renewing through the Maintenance of Certification process and enrolling in a second Master's program.
Tune in as Joe reflects on his winding career path, the impact of National Board certification on his evolution as an educator, and how he's leveraged his expertise to become a celebrated role model and leader among colleagues. His story exemplifies the lifelong learning mindset at the heart of accomplished teaching.
Whether you're an NBCT candidate or a fellow trailblazer in the profession, Joe's firsthand insights are sure to motivate and inspire you on your own journey. Don't miss this candid conversation!
This Teacher Appreciation Week, tune in for an inspiring conversation with Dr. Sonia Matthew, a National Board Certified Teacher and assistant principal. Drawing from her experience as an accomplished educator and instructional leader, Dr. Matthew will provide invaluable insights into fostering positive teacher morale. Learn her proven strategies for creating a supportive environment where teachers feel empowered, valued, and motivated to have maximum impact in the classroom.
Jennifer DiGioia is a veteran educator of 22 years, a lifelong learner, and a National Board candidate. She jumped on the chance to go through the National Board process when California offered to cover the fees. She has an unmatched passion for her students and wants to be the best educator. Listen to her story on this episode of National Board Conversations.
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On this National Board Conversations episode, you hear from Kim Radostits, NBCT. She is the 2023 Illinois Teacher of the Year and has much to say about her time as an educator. She greatly advocates for the National Board process and has a special message for several other State Teachers of the Year! Be sure to follow her on Twitter @SrtaRad
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Katie McClain is a seasoned educator with six years of dedicated service in the esteemed Clark County School District, specializing in high school video production. She embraces the dynamic intersection of creativity and technology within the educational landscape, guiding my students through the intricacies of multimedia storytelling. She is a Career and Technical Education National Board candidate.
In this episode of National Board Conversations, she talks about her journey to this point and gets into the intricacies of how she has been able to weave her first career in broadcast journalism with becoming a teacher on her way to achieving National Board Certification.
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Tune in to the latest episode of National Board Conversations as we sit down with Jeff Norris, NBCT, the 2024 Alabama Teacher of the Year! Jeff shares his journey, insights, and innovative teaching practices that earned him this prestigious recognition. Gain valuable inspiration and ideas for excellence in education from this dedicated educator!
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Candidate Conversations by the National Board is a chance to speak with educators who are currently on their National Board journey. Danielle Brown, NBCT, continues our school year-long journey with Keke Powell! She is a second-grade teacher in Texas and is super fun and engaging! In this episode, we catch up with Keke as the submission window opens and talk about how she plans to attack submitting the two components she is working on.
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Michelle Accardi is a National Board Certified Teacher in Early Childhood through Young Adulthood/Exceptional Needs Specialist and the Senior Director Strategic Partnerships for the National Board. Before joining the staff of the National Board in 2011, she was an elementary school teacher at Albuquerque Public Schools. She achieved National Board certification in 2005 in Exceptional Needs and renewed it in 2015. Michelle worked in team-taught and self-contained classrooms, focusing on students with behavioral differences. In addition, she was active with the New Mexico NBCT Network. She enjoyed interacting with fellow teachers as a Candidate Support Provider and Dossier Assessor. Her work included consulting for several BIE Schools. Before working in education, she was a private-sector attorney. Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in politics from the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas. She earned her Juris Doctor from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She is a Certified Non-Profit Executive.
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As Senior Manager of Standards, Dianna Minor leads the National Board work in overseeing the Standards Team’s critical functional areas, including project management, consultant management, event planning, and grant reporting. Additionally, Dianna coordinates the Certification Council, which is the arm of the Board of Directors with approval authority over the Standards and Assessment Department. She also works closely with the Assessment, Communications, Finance, and Candidate Experience Teams and with representatives from external stakeholder organizations. Minor is a renewed National Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescence, English Language Arts. Previously, she has worked in Alabama as an English/language arts teacher, literacy and ESL interventionist, curriculum specialist, and a college adjunct in curriculum and instruction at the University of Alabama (Birmingham).
She is a graduate of the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa). She holds a master’s degree in English/language arts education, an Administrative/Instructional Leadership certification, and an Educational Specialist (Ed.S) degree in English/language arts. Minor has served as a blogger for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and coached with the National Math & Science Initiative (NMSI), where she designed and developed content and eLearning experiences for educators nationwide. She has also served as an education consultant with Alabama’s A+ College Ready organization, where she developed curricula and trained educators in the latest-best practice teaching strategies. She has been active in the National Board communities, serving as a board member with Alabama’s NBCT Network, as National Board Core Connections Webinar facilitator, and as an educational consultant with the Alabama A & M University/University of Alabama at Huntsville Regional Inservice Center, where she facilitated professional development workshops and seminars asynchronously for educators pursuing National Board certification. In addition to being previously recognized as a district nominee for Alabama’s Teacher of the Year with Hoover City Schools, she was recognized as a 2020 Red Mountain Writing Fellow, an affiliate of the National Writing Project, and a 2021 TEDx Birmingham Education Fellow.
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Barry Thomas has been teaching English for 11 years at Young Oak Kim Academy Middle School in Los Angeles, California.
He received his bachelor's degree in English Education at California State University Long Beach and his master's degree in Teaching Pedagogy, along with his teaching credential at USC. He obtained National Board Certification in December of 2021. He also served as English Department Chair for seven years and is mentoring two new teachers through his district's Teacher Growth Induction Program (TGI).
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Chad achieved National Board Certification in School Counseling with a specialization in Early Childhood Through Young Adulthood and presently works as an elementary school counselor in Montana. He has elementary education and Modern Languages certifications and as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Montana. He began his career teaching elementary school and junior high for several years. He also worked as a therapist for two years at the Center for Children and Families. At the center, he conducted group therapy, individual sessions, and trauma care, among other therapeutic services. As a school counselor, Chad specializes in differentiated behavioral interventions, trauma-informed care, suicidal response and prevention, and curriculum development and design. In addition to being an active member of local and state National Board Networks, Chad has worked with the American School Counseling Association National Model in developing comprehensive counseling programs. In 2022, Chad was selected as Montana’s School Counselor of the Year.
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National Board Conversations hits the road! The Texas National Board Coalition for Teaching hosted the National Board Conversations team to perform a podcast in front of a live audience at their annual conference. The episode features a panel of speakers from Texas that discussed the growth of the National Board program in the state, the impact certification can have on students across Texas, and much more. On the podcast, you’ll hear from Lauren Smith and Kevin Criss, two educators who recently achieved in December 2023, Blanca Galvez-Perez and Damaris Guitierrez, two leaders in the Texas National Board network, and Dannette Key, a National Board candidate aiming to complete her journey and achieve certification in December 2025.
Dr. Dolores Cormier-Zenon is a National Board Certified Teacher with over 25 years in education. She served as President of ASCD (Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development), the co-founder/President of the PC2 Education Foundation, and founder/vice-chair of the National Board Network of Accomplished Minority Educators (NAME). Additionally, she serves as President of the Louisiana National Board Certified Teacher Network while supporting underprivileged students to achieve post-secondary academic success. Cormier-Zenon was recognized by the Louisiana Department of Education as a Distinguished Educator in 2004, significantly impacting change in challenging schools and districts to elevate their commitment to educators, families, and students' social-emotional and academic needs. Cormier-Zenon later earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2012 and continues to promote a focus on diverse topics that influence equity, advocacy, and policy, teacher leadership, professional practice, family engagement, and high-quality instruction that impacts the whole child. In response to COVID, she founded the WISE OWL Scholar Academy to challenge and support students in a safe and healthy environment. Dr. Zenon espouses the belief that “Every child, every zip code, no matter their circumstance.”
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On this episode of National Board Conversations we celebrate Native American Heritage Month by speaking with Kathryn Logue, NBCT! We wanted to hear the perspective of a Native American NBCT, and that is what we did! She is the Special Services Director in Coulee Dam, Washington.
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Dr. Shelina Warren is an Arkansas native, army veteran, and social studies teacher/leader in her eighth year at Dunbar High School in Washington, DC, and her 21st year in education. She teaches 10th – 12th-grade students Constitutional Law, Law and Justice Advocacy, Peer Mediation, and Human Rights and Social Action. Shelina is also the director of the Eleanor Holmes Norton Law and Public Policy Academy, whose mission is to nurture students to use their voices to affect change. Before moving to DC, Mrs. Warren taught 9th-grade Civics and Economics for ten years and spent three years teaching gifted and talented K-6 students in Arkansas.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Science Education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a Master of Education in History and Educational Technology from the University of Arkansas at Monticello, a Master of Education in Gifted and Talented Education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University. She recently received a Doctoral degree in Urban Leadership from the Johns Hopkins University. She had the distinction of achieving National Board Certification in Social Studies, Adolescent to Young Adulthood in 2013.
She has won numerous awards in the past, including the 2012 Arkansas Teacher of the Year Finalist – 2nd Runner-Up, the John Morton Excellence in Teaching Economics (national) Award in 2015, the Mikva Challenge DC Inspiring Education Award 2018, the Anna Julia Cooper Award in Civic Action and Social Change in 2020, 2021 District of Columbia Teacher of the Year Finalist - 2nd Runner-Up, 2022 American Civics Education Teacher Award (ACETA) and the 2023 Street Law Classroom Champion award.
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Dion Copeland is a transformative educator and manager committed to high-quality instruction, training, and development. He is a graduate of the University of Louisville with a B.S. in Middle Secondary Education concentrating in Social Studies. Mr. Copeland is active in his school and professional organizations as an SBDM council member, Diversity Lead and Committee Chair, Social Studies Department Chair, and a member of the National Education Association's Cohort of Leaders for Just Schools. Mr. Copeland is a recipient of the Fayette County Educators Association Teaching Excellence Award (2023), the Kentucky Education Association Diversity Lesson Plan Award (2023), and the Earl C Clements Innovation in Education Award (2023).
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Milton Alan Turner is a National Board Certified teacher in Cleveland, Ohio. A veteran educator at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland. In the episode, we talk about his path to certification, his love of science fiction, and ways to try and rebuild the Black teacher pipeline.
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Kimberly Jones, NBCT, is the 2023 North Carolina Teacher of the Year! She recently joined National Board Conversations to discuss her journey, and what keeps her in the classroom. She has a passion for culturally responsive teaching and does a full quarter teaching the holocaust in her classroom!
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Candidate Conversations by the National Board is a chance to speak with educators who are currently on their National Board journey. On the first episode Danielle Brown, NBCT, talks with Keke Powell! She is a second-grade teacher in Texas and is super fun and engaging! They get into how she became an educator, why she is pursuing National Board Certification, and even her favorite pizza topping!
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Magdalena Mata, NBCT, joins National Board conversations to discuss her unique path to becoming an educator, and the importance of highlighting the diversity of Hispanic culture this Hispanic Heritage Month. She also delves into the importance of never giving up on yourself even when you don't get the results you wanted! Subscribe and share the podcast with all your educator friends and enjoy the episode!
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Season Three kicks off with the Director of Candidate Experience here at the National Board. Jaci Fabian is a National Board Certified teacher in Chicago, Illinois, and left the classroom to join the candidate experience team at the National Board. She has since moved up to director and is leading the way for the National Board to create a more effective and equitable candidate experience process for educators on their National Board journey.
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On this episode of National Board Conversations, you get to hear from Dr. Melissa Collins, NBCT. She was named the 2023 Tennessee Teacher of the Year and has been a National Board champion forever! Be sure to give her a follow on social media: Twitter and Instagram.
Scott Muri is a National Board Certified Teacher whose career has taken him to many different places. Now he applies his trade as the Superintendent of Ector County Independent School District in west Texas. He joined National Board Conversations as part of the #IAmAnNBCT campaign and discussed his career to date, and why he believes in National Board Certification.
You can find Dr. Scott Muri, NBCT on Twitter or LinkedIn
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Jose Vilson, NBCT, joins the podcast to discuss his National Board journey, and the work he is doing with his organization EduColor
Erin E.H. Austin is a National Board Certified French teacher in Colorado. She began her teaching career in Minnesota in 2002, and she holds a B.A. in both French and Art Education, a M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction, and graduate certificates in French Studies and Gifted, Creative, & Talented Education. She was a NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow in 2018 and now presents nationally on global education-related topics. In addition to doing contract writing and curriculum consulting work, Ms. Austin is the author of The Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Original World Language Resources: How to Open, Fill, and Grow a Successful Online Curriculum Store (Routledge, 2021). The book is based on her experience with her own TeachersPayTeachers curriculum store, and she leads workshops to show other educators how to make money from their original resources. In addition to the National Board podcast, she has been a featured guest on the Leading Equity, Side Hustle School, Dr. Will Show, and Punk Rock Classrooms podcasts. Ms. Austin is currently the chair of the associate board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado, an organization she has been involved in since 2005, and she sits on the board of the Abundant Yoga Community, a young non-profit in western Wisconsin whose mission is to bring yoga to those with financial or geographic barriers.
Connect:
- Twitter: @Erin-EH-Austin
- LinkedIn: Erin (Hoffman) Austin (www.linkedin.com/in/erin-eh-austin)
Book:
- The Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Original World Language Resources (on Amazon)
- The Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Original World Language Resources (on Routledge's site)
Claudine James is a National Board Certified English Teacher in central Arkansas. She also has over THREE MILLION followers on Tik Tok. She joins this episode of National Board Conversations to discuss her rise to becoming the #1 Education follow on Tik Tok, and provide you with tips on how to use social media engagement to connect with your students! Be sure to follow Claudine on Tik Tok.
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On this episode of National Board Conversations, we take a trip to Chicago to speak with Ray Salazar. He is a National Board Certified High School English teacher, powerlifter, and much more! You can check out some of his work at the White Rhino Blog and learn about his community efforts. We get to know the details of how Ray became an English teacher, his state records in powerlifting, and talk about things close to him. Give him a follow on Twitter or Instagram and I hope you enjoy the episode.
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On this episode on National Board Conversations we talk to Yolanda Harman. She is an NBCT in Maryland and is a big advocate for administrators taking the plunge and going through the National Board process. You can read more about her encouragement of administrators in The Standard.
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On this episode of National Board Conversations we take a trip to Central Maryland to speak with a newly certified National Board Certified Teacher! Angela Killebrew achieved certification in December 2021 and joined National Board Conversations to detail her journey.
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Jada Reeves, NBCT joins National Board Conversations to discuss the ins and outs of Component Two in the National Board process. Be sure to follow us on all our social media platforms to keep up with all National Board-related updates.
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Welcome back to National Board Conversations. In this episode, you hear from Jonathon Medeiros. He's a National Board Certified Teacher in Hawaii and joined this episode to talk about the importance of reflective writing and teaching beyond the curriculum expanding the minds and learning environment of your students. You can read more from Jonathon on The Standard.
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Welcome to National Board Conversations. Chayanee Brooks is a National Board Certified Teacher in Hawaii. She recently achieved certification on her final attempt. Listen to Chayanee talk about the emotions she wen through from not achieving to finally getting over the hump and achieving certification in December 2021. You can read her story in The Standard
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Michel Morgan is a National Board Certified Teacher in Salt Lake City, Utah. Recently in The Standard, Michele discussed the impact of monitoring your crisis cycle. On this episode of National Board Conversations she talks you through the stages of the crisis cycle, and help identify some tactics to help keep you from falling into crisis.
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Maria Peterson is National Board Certified Teacher in Montgomery County Maryland. During the pandemic she turned into a vaccine hunter helping people in her community get appointments for their vaccine getting her featured in the Washington Post, in CNN, and on Good Morning America. Maria was able to get over 30,000 people in her local community vaccine appointments. Listen to her tell her story of leadership. You can read her story in The Standard.
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Megan Jenny is a National Board Certified Teacher in Baton Rogue, Louisiana. She recently maintained her National Board Certification while going to school for her doctorate degree. Listen to Megan tell her story of achievement, and get some tips for going through your maintenance of certification. You can read her story in The Standard
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We fly over to the midwest! We got a fun conversation with Carol Hofer coming up for you. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in Indianapolis, Indiana. We talk about her journey to becoming an NBCT, talk about the importance of a mentor while going through the process, and learn some things about her outside the classroom. Get more tips from Carol about the National Board process.
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What’s going on everyone, on this episode of National Board Conversations we head over to the Maryland Eastern Shore to chat with Mirta Bradner. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in Maryland and is a huge advocate for AP Courses in underserved communities having worked with Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to secure funding for AP in schools. We talk about the importance of AP courses in schools, and how taking AP Courses can be helpful to students of color. Read more about her AP advocacy journey
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On this episode of National Board Conversations we take a trip to South Carolina to chat with Jamie Gregory. She’s a National Board Certified Teacher from Greenville, SC. We talk to Jamie about the importance of school librarians. She recently wrote a blog for us discussing the importance of advocating for your school librarians, and offers some tools to help with advocating for your school one!
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Danny Hollweg, a National Board Certified Teacher in Colorado joins National Board Conversations to discuss his blog post When Schools and Pixar Collide: The Value of a Postmortem.Be sure to follow us on all our social media platforms to keep up with all National Board-related updates.
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On this episode of National Board Conversations, we speak to Tammy Kirkland, a National Board Certified Teacher in Oxford, Mississippi. She is the director of the World Class Teaching Program at the University of Mississippi. She wrote a blog about the emotional roller coaster she went on when not achieving certification on the first try.
Tammy provides tips and strategies for understanding your feedback statements and for candidates who didn't get the score they would like we have plenty of tips for you on this episode as well. Be sure to take advantage of the Advanced Candidate Workbook to help you understand your feedback statements.
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In this episode of National Board Conversations, we discuss the National Board Standards with Jami Fowler-White, NBCT. Jami stresses the importance of embodying the National Board standards as an educator. We also find out a little bit about her outside the classroom and what keeps her going.
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In this episode of National Board Conversations, we speak to Michael de la Torre, NBCT, about planning your National Board Journey. He's a National Board Certified Teacher and the Program Coordinator for the LAUSD Support Network. We also speak to Michael about some of the animal conservation he has done over the years.
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Welcome everyone to National Board conversations. This is episode eight, our final episode of the season. We're so grateful to have been able to provide this programming for you. We thank you for tuning in. It was a really great opportunity and we had so much fun connecting with all these National Board certified teachers and educators, and we're just really proud of our teachers in America. So thank you for listening. If you're a fan of the podcast, share it around, tell your friends, colleagues, other educators, and teachers. Our hope is to get these talks to as many listeners as possible and help them on their journey to National Board certification. Today's guest is Jonathon Medeiros. He is a National Board certified teacher based in Hawaiʻi. Our conversation centered a lot around self-reflection, which is a major tenet of the National Board process. We talked a lot about how we can be self-reflective and be nimble in order to pivot so that we can service the students and offer a really enriched and dynamic educational experience. The ideas we discussed seemed even more relevant considering the pandemic that we're all living through.
A big barrier for potential candidates is the time commitment associated with pursuing National Board Certification. This episode will break down how a successful NBCT managed their time and what they did to ensure that they could complete their certification. This episode will act as a tool of empowerment and motivation for those that are hesitant about starting their journey.
We speak with Catrina Parker. She is a National Board certified teacher from North Carolina. She was a math teacher that transitioned into being an education advancement coordinator. What that means is that she's actually working with teachers that are on their National Board certification journey. So she has such a huge wealth of knowledge. Catrina going to give you some incredible tips, inspiring insights, and a lot of motivation.
Sharif El-Mekki is a celebrated teacher and respected member of his community. He is the CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development and along the path of his career, he has held positions as a teacher, principal, and administrator. While he personally has not pursued National Board Certification in his long career, Sharif is a huge supporter of the process and promotes certification throughout his community. He is a valued partner of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and currently sits on their board of directors. In this episode, we will discuss how the National Board certification is helping to champion equity and equality within the education system. We explore why it is essential for teachers to be mindful and ensure they are offering their students an equitable education. We unpack why it is important to certify and how the National Board Certification is beneficial for creating an enhanced and considered education for students.
Colleen is a New York state based NBCT who has great insight into the National Board Certification process. Her decades of teaching and support of teachers who are pursuing their National Board certification makes her a perfect guest. We focused on discussing maintenance of certification and why it is so valuable for teachers. Colleen has successfully renewed her certification once and is currently pursuing maintenance of certification so she has a lot of knowledge about the process and what to expect.
In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Doretha Allen, an NBCT from Dallas Texas. Dr. Allen reflects on her journey and emphasizes the importance of community for the certification process. She shares key tools and principles that can assist candidates in the successful pursuit of certification. Dr. Allen also discusses how being unsuccessful in achieving some of her modules ended up being one of the most valuable learning experiences of her entire certification process.
Dr. Heather Mullins is a Chief Academic Officer of a North Carolina school district. Her decades of experience as a teacher and administrator make her a knowledgeable and insightful guest who shares important advice on how to succeed in attaining National Board certification. This conversation offers up some valuable tools and tips for teachers on their certification journey while empowering prospective candidates to take the leap and dive into the National Board certification process.
Juliana Urtubey is a Nevada based National Board Certified Teacher. This year she was honored with the award of "Teacher of the Year" for the state of Nevada. In this discussion, Juliana described how becoming an NBCT enriched her practice and enabled her to reach even higher levels of professional success.
Patty lives and works in Austin, Texas, and has over 20 years of experience as a teacher. She offers some great insight into what it is like to pursue National Board Certification as a mother of two and a devoted teacher. Patty was very eager to talk with us because she truly feels that the National Board Certification process was the best professional development for her career. She shares advice and tips on how to excel during your journey and achieve success along the way.