Chapter 15: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A PROFESSIONAL? By: Peter Velazquez

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Over the past 23 years the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has been working to recognize and provide greater help for the teachers that are considered to be Level Three teachers. While doing this they hope to strengthen the claim of professionalism for the teaching career.

In the past, there were not really any high standards set. Because of this, many people who could have been outstanding were discouraged from entering into the teaching field. On the other side the low standards have lowered others aspiration. The NBPTS is hoping that setting these high standards will work just as the 4 minute mile barrier did for long distance runners.

As of 2007, 55,000 teachers had risen to the standards and became board certified. Many people believe that becoming board certified gives teachers professional credential just as physicians and architects can have. 90% of physicians and 30% of architect in the U.S. are board certified, but only 2% of teachers in the U.S. are board certified.

The NBPTS is directed by five core propositions:
1. Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach these subject to students.
2. Teachers are committed to their students and their learning.
3. Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.
4. Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.
5. Teachers are members of a learning community.

They also have five distinguishing characteristics:
1. The NBPTS supports experienced teachers.
2. “Taking the boards” is completely voluntary.
3. “Taking the boards” involves submitting oneself to a set of examinations and assessments in particular areas or subject matter such as early childhood.
4. These assessments are not typical paper-and pencil tests.
5. The primary control of the NBPTS is in the hands of a sixty-three-person board of directors.

There are many advantages to becoming board certified. A salary bonus is one. Teachers who teach in “high needs” schools in California and became board certified received a onetime bonus of $20,000. It also gives school boards more basis to give impressionistic criteria such as “her children do well on tests”. Becoming board certified means that you as a teacher have just become more portable.

Just as with anything else there is also criticism of the NBPTS. Some say that there is no solid knowledge base in the teaching field that the NBPTS can assess. Some see it as a public relations move to raise the salaries of teachers. Some think that it is mainly teacher on the board and see them using it to serve the economic interests of teachers and to insulate them further from their “clients”. Others see it as a failed “progressive ideology”. They recognize the strengths in the idea, but are sitting back to see if the board certified teachers actually teach better than non certified teachers.
I choose this video because it talks more about why teachers need to be certified and the benefit of them being certified.

Chapter 14: What can the new teacher expect?: Principles, not just your boss: By Michelle Scherr

The first thought of a principle that comes to mind is often the discipliner. Though it is true that many of our principles do play this role, they also have many others, others that students and teachers do not think of.

For the teachers, they are not only your boss, but also your colleagues. You both work in the same school and are both working for the same goal, to better your student’s futures with the education that you offer now.

They are your leaders. Any decision that has a major impact on the school or other classes, the principle will decide. Once your principle has agreed or disagreed with a situation, it then is official. A good principle will lead their school to victory. They will not just sit by and let their school fail. They are your voice to the public.

They are your helpers. Most principles have been where their teachers are. They have had their first year as a teacher, and have also had their first year as a principle. They know the ins and outs of teaching. They should be willing to assist their first year teachers, or any teacher that comes to them with a problem.

Principles are your colleagues, leaders, and helpers; while playing these roles, they must also be your judge. They also have a boss that they have to report to. Along with their boss they also have the public. If a teacher is not doing their part, the public looks down on the school as a whole, not just the individual teacher, therefore it is the principles job to judge your performance and make sure you are teaching up to their standards.

Chapter 14: What Can The New Teacher Expect? by: Keriann Grisham

One of the biggest fears every beginning teacher has is classroom management. They ask themselves “What if my students start to get out of control”, or “What if this problem gets too tough for me to handle, and I have to quit?” A person can go into the teaching field, passionate about the subject they want to teach, but if they don’t know how to handle their students everything can turn into chaos. I believe students need consistency. One way to help control the classroom is to set a list of classroom rules that are explained to the students (so they know what is expected of them), and also that each rule is stuck to by the teacher. Another important thing to maintain as a teacher is a good attitude. When a teacher has a good attitude, and is happy to be working with her students, this is apparent to his/her students. When a teacher has a positive attitude, their students are more likely to have good attitudes as well as good behavior.

I choose this video because it shows that a teacher having a good attitude makes a big difference in the behavior that is returned from the students and it creates a more comfortable atmosphere in the classroom as well. I hope that when I become a teacher I will be able to manage my classroom efficiently.