I did it. I did it.
I have been struggling with how to express the news that I received right before I left school today. It’s verbal information straight from the superintendent’s mouth to my principal’s and my collective ears… but until I get paper confirmation, I won’t refer to the achievement by name, but just think about it.
I just achieved what every third-year teacher wants to get, what has gotten much harder to achieve, what only 60% of NYC teachers received last year (and the number continues to shrink).
The panic before it (as spoken about in my private post last night)? All gone. Ok, well, there was a back-and-forth between my principal and I with the superintendent. My portfolio for this particular achievement was pristine but it was missing one element: my students’ ELA and Math scores from last year. After 45 minutes of exploring ARIS for the reports, the scores were faxed.
And at 3:20, 35 minutes after the last of the paperwork was faxed in, my principal informed me of the news and gave me a hug.
I’m still in shock. I need to have the word said to me for me to believe it. I feel awful about the teachers who may not have gotten this achievement for one reason or another. Still, it’s a very exciting development and as all the people who received texts from me or calls (It’s Not Lupus), it’s a pretty big freakin’ deal!
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So what next?
I have been toying with three options. My achievement doesn’t activate until the end of the first day of school next school year, but knowing that I have it allows me to focus on progressing my career.
Here are my options with #3 being the most likely:
1) Get a second Masters, most likely in a special education focus.
2) Get my Doctorate, also a special-education focus.
or…
3) Start my application for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards during the summer and work on the process all next year.
I’m able to apply to be a National Board teacher after my third year. Why not go for it?
My career as a teacher is never over. Much like our faith and our hearts, teachers only grow as time goes on. We become more adapt to handling situations and teaching material better for a wide myriad of students. Most importantly though, we become more adapt to be all the hundreds of roles teachers play every day in our students’ lives.
I want to take another step in my career, but I never want to lose what attracted me to the profession.
National Board certification? As Jay-Z would say, it’s on to the next one…
Thank you all for your support the last three years. But it’s not over, it’s never over.
