I've Never Sent My National Boards for the Final Time

For the past three years I have been on a journey to get my National Board Certification. As a teacher, we get licensed by individual states, but this is an opportunity to go above and beyond and get recognition by a national organization. It means something to have your National Boards. With all this talk in the media recently about bad teachers who just show up for a paycheck, I can guarantee you anyone who gets their National Boards is not on this level. It's a really difficult process. Luckily in my state, in the year I began, North Carolina paid for your initial $2500 fee. Everyone completes four portfolio entries, varying slightly by your certification, and then an assessment test. My portfolio entries required me to analyze student writing, video and analyze a whole class lesson, video and analyze a small group lesson, and finally look at my professional contributions and accomplishments. The assessment test is very grueling - three hours of writing as much as you coherently can about content topics. You get about 5 to 6 months to complete this whole process. When I got my scores back from my first attempt I was upset. I was only 5 points away - a 270 out of 275. While I was sad, I was also optimistic because I thought - 5 points!?! No problem! So the next year I became a retake candidate. I only had to redo the portfolio pieces that I did not do well on. I decided to redo the entry about my professional contributions. Anyone who knows me professionally knows this is an area I excel at so I thought I would get it this time. I did a lot of work writing, and rewriting. I had data from test scores to back up my accomplishments. I thought for sure I had rocked the entry. I got my scores back and guess what? I got the exact same score as the first time. I was heartbroken. What feels worse than thinking you had excelled and then being told you didn't? But, I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and chose the only other option I had to redo this time around which was the writing analysis. This is not something I am good at, but I just hoped for the best. While working on my entry this time, I just didn't have my heart in it. The news everyday seemed to have some story about how teachers suck and don't deserve their paycheck. The legislature of my state was holding budget meetings that cut education around 13%. And in those cuts were talks of getting rid of National Board bonus pay. NC has already cut paying for the $2500 initial fee, and now there is serious talk of cutting the 12% raise that goes with the honor of receiving National Boards. Needless to say I got even more depressed. So on Friday, when my entry was due, I was in a panic about getting it finished and sent, but at the same time, I didn't really care. Why would I work so hard to get something when it doesn't matter if I do? I make the same amount of money as I did four years ago, even though I have consistently shown student growth year after year. Our school has pulled itself out of turn around (which for all those non teachers is a big deal), but we didn't get so much as a pat on the back by the state. All this talk of bad teachers that just show up for a paycheck... has turned me into a bad teacher that just cares about my paycheck. I invite anyone who thinks teaching is an easy job to come to my classroom for one week and do my job. Please be there for the moments when seniors are failing and you have to tell their parents. Please be there when kids tell you about having to work 40 hours a week because their parent got laid off and they want to contribute to the household. Please be there when a student desperately wants to go to college, but can't get their parents to fill out the FAFSA form to get financial aid. Please be there when a student literally needs some attention so they are willing to act out in class just to hear someone say their name. Please be there and see the students who wear the same hooded sweatshirt day in and day out because that is the only thing they have that comes close to a winter coat, and the students who have to wear flip flops year round because that is all they have. Please be there and see if you can do this, because I guarantee you can't. I certainly didn't enter education to have a big fat paycheck. And I don't stay in it for the paycheck. But it certainly would be nice to be acknowledged for all the hard work I do day in and day out, and the extra time I put in outside the classroom to make sure I am being the best I can be. I am not a bad teacher. In fact I'm a good one. And on some days I am a great one. I wish someone would have the guts to get rid of all these people that the news anchors are talking about and let those of us who do a good job get some credit. My state ends up ranking in the 40s in almost every education poll out there. It is just plain sad. So this was the last time I could try for my National Board Certification. I hope I make it, but I am not holding my breath. Not to say I wouldn't be proud of myself for making it into this elite club. But I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that I do a good job, just like I don't need a fair paycheck either. Instead, I have many former and current students that are excelling, some partially because of me. And really, what more could you ask for?