By Kristin

We're all trying to come to terms with the fact a young man shot his way through locked doors and used tiny bodies for target practice.  My mind goes so far, and then stops.

And I try, like any person, to think of possible ways to prevent this from happening.  I think of ways we can improve mental health care, ways we can entertain young people without letting them think killing is thrilling, and ways we can keep weapons whose only purpose is killing large numbers of human beings out of the hands of the untrained, the unfeeling, and the disconnected.  I try to think of ways to protect my own 6-year old first grader, whose body, when I look at it, doesn't seem to have enough real estate to sustain eleven bullets from an assault rifle.

But the solution proposed by the NRA, to put armed guards at schools, is the absolute worst solution I've heard of.

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By Tom White

There’s a family at our school from the Ukraine. Each
morning, the mom walks her five kids to our school, drops off the two oldest
children at the flagpole and then walks back home with the three youngest. But
before she leaves, she swings past my classroom to check on Alex. She looks
through the window, catches his eye, and smiles. Then she waves to me and
repeats the same procedure outside her other son’s room. She wants to make
sure they made it safely into their classrooms. Later, when school’s over, she
waits for her two oldest kids at the flagpole, and she smiles at me when she
sees Alex. And I smile back.

The Ukrainian mom does not sign permission slips for her
sons to go on field trips. She’s not comfortable with the idea of letting them
leave the school, so she usually keeps them home on those days.

Last week, while I was collecting permission slips for an
upcoming field trip, Alex asked to spend the day in his older brother’s
classroom so that he wouldn’t have to stay home. I spoke with the other teacher
to make the arrangements and we talked briefly about the family. We agreed that
the Ukrainian mom was “over-protective.”

That’s right. We derisively called this wonderful mom “over-protective.”

This one got to me more than the others. Maybe it was the
proximity to Christmas. Or maybe it was the age of the victims.

Or maybe this time we have to face the fact that we’re
entirely unable to protect our most innocent and our most vulnerable from our
most evil. And their weapons.

Like you, I’m supposed to go back to school tomorrow and
talk to my students. I’m supposed to make them feel safe. I’m sure I’ll think
of something. And we’ll get through the day, and then the week and then the
year.

But I’ll tell you this: I have no idea what to say to the
over-protective Ukrainian mom when I see her at the flagpole.

I’m not even sure I’ll be able to look her in the eye.

By Tom White

The American Federation of Teachers (the other teachers’
union) recently came out with a
proposal to have the National Board develop a pre-service evaluation for
teachers. They believe that by testing prospective teachers before they enter
the classroom, we can elevate the level of our nation’s teachers and thus
improve student learning. For obvious
reasons, the National Board (and by proxy, Pearson, Inc.) would
be more than happy to develop – and sell – another pre-service evaluation. And
they would probably do a pretty good job of it. For their part, the AFT wants
this new test to “raise the bar,” giving induction into education the same
status and complexity as induction into law. I disagree.

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By Kristin

Seattle has rolled out "Student Growth Ratings." Some teachers are devastated, some confused, and the vast majority are unaffected.  Next year all 4-8 reading / math teachers and all 9th grade algebra teachers will receive SGRs. These teachers are called, "Teachers of Tested Subjects."  Despite the HSPE being THE big test students need to pass before graduation, 10th grade LA/Math teachers are not considered "Teachers of Tested Subjects." Last week some teachers were told they had "low," "typical," or "high" student growth. Watch this overview video if you are curious.

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By Tom White

According to a recent
report by the Strategic Data Project out of Harvard University, National
Board Certified Teachers make an enormous impact on their students. To wit: “On
average, NBCTs outperform other teachers with the same levels of experience by
0.07 standard deviations in elementary math.” While that might mean something
to you, I was not the “numbers guy” in my family. That would be my brother
Steve. Fortunately, the Strategic Data Project saw me coming and offered
this translation: “These effects are roughly equivalent to two months of
additional math instruction.”

If that’s true – and I have no reason to doubt Harvard
University – that means that the State of Washington is getting an enormous
bargain. Let me try to explain:

First we have to accept elementary math data as a proxy for
general teaching effectiveness. We also have to assume that the data can be
generalized from Los Angeles, where the study was conducted, to Washington,
which is where I live. I see no reason why we can’t accept either premise. So
we can presume that NBCTs in Washington are having a positive effect equivalent
to two additional months of instruction. Two months of instruction is roughly
20 percent of the school year, which means that NBCTs are 20 percent more
effective than their non-NBCT colleagues.

The average teacher’s salary in Washington is about $50,000.
Let’s assume for now that compensation is provided as an exchange for the
effect teachers have on their students. If NBCTs have a twenty percent greater
effect on students than non-NBCTs, it stands to reason that NBCTs are worth twenty percent more. If I’m not
mistaken, twenty percent of $50,000 is $10,000. Therefore, in a perfect world,
NBCTs should be earning $10,000 more.

They aren’t. In Washington State, NBCTs receive an annual
stipend of $5,090. There are currently 6,173 NBCTs in our state. Paying them each
a bonus costs us a little over $31 million. Obviously, that’s not nothing, but apparently
it’s only half of what they’re worth. Washington State is getting more than its
money’s worth. Twice as much.

That’s what I call a bargain. And it’s something worth
remembering as the legislative season heats up and lawmakers are looking for
stuff to cut.

By Kristin

Just googling the image of this box gave me kind of an ill feeling.  The terror, the feeling like I was taking a shot in the dark, the waiting, the exposure.  Teachers who take on the challenge of measuring their practice by gathering evidence and writing a massive thesis on top of their daily teaching load are the kind of teachers I want to work with and have teach my daughters.  Why?  Because they're tough, they take risks, and they're not afraid to try and fail.

    Two years ago my neighbor and friend climbed Rainier.  There's a great picture of him standing on top, wearing his three-year old daughter's tutu because of course, even on top of Rainier she was on his mind.  He thought he could do it, he thought it was worth doing, and he did it.

    Earning your National Boards is like that.  You've got the day in and day out evidence that you're doing a pretty good job.  You're trying to do a good job.  And then you decide you might successfully measure your teaching up against a rigorous set of national standards.  You think you can get certified, you think it's worth doing, and you do it.  

    And, like climbing Rainier, it's not easy.  You might not even summit your first time.  And if you summit someone might shoot down your accomplishment, saying that research shows NB Certification doesn't necessarily increase test scores, saying anyone can climb Rainier if you pay the right guide.

    But if you've loaded that box up with your best shot, and if you've put on your crampons and tutu and climbed Rainier, you've done something not everyone will or can do, just because you thought it was worth the pain and the effort to try.  Just because you had the guts to see if you could.

             Well done.  

By Travis

Across America, teachers at various levels and subjects went online to read the results of their National Board certification process.

Congratulations! Washington has always done well as a state and this is because Washington is on course to making excellence in education a state-wide goal. 

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By Tom

In recognition of "Score Release Day" the writers here
at Stories from School are focusing this week on National Board Certification.
We're recognizing and connecting with the new NBCTs, offering our congratulations
and welcoming them into the community of accomplished teachers.

Achieving National Board Certification is incredibly difficult. At
least it was for me. So to all the new NBCTs out there, congratulations! You’ve
done something amazing, not only for yourselves, but for your students.
Celebrate. Live it up.

But I want to focus on a certain subset of National Board
Certified Teachers: the retakers. (Or as the National Board calls them, the “Advanced
Candidates”) As you probably know, the National Board essentially gives
candidates three years in which to certify. Those who don’t certify the first year
can bank their higher scores and redo the parts in which they fell short. And
if they need to, they can do it again the next year.

I am in
awe of those teachers.

Not
because I’m one of them, but precisely because I’m not. When I went through the
process, twelve years ago, I certified – not by much – but by enough. Had I
fallen short, I’m pretty sure I would have turned the page on the whole sorry
episode, chalked it up to unfounded hubris, and moved on. Sort of like my
failed attempt to climb Mt. Baker. (See figure A)

Since
certifying, I’ve had the opportunity to work with dozens of candidates. Some of
them certify and some don’t. And of those who don’t, some try again and some don’t.
Those who try again – who go through the anger and grief of not certifying; yet
ultimately dust themselves off and go through it again; those candidates are my
favorites. I admire their grit; their persistence, their perseverance
and their endurance. And thier humility

Obviously,
everyone wants to certify the first time around. That’s the goal. Not only is
it more efficient, but it’s cheaper. NB certification, however, is an
assessment. And like all assessments, it doesn’t always accurately measure what
it’s supposed to measure. In my experience, the biggest barrier for most
candidates is their ability to clearly communicate, in written form, how their
teaching measures up to the standards. Being a good teacher is one thing; being
able to write about it is something else altogether, and it’s that “something
else” that frequently prevents good teachers from certifying.

But
National Board Certification is more than an assessment. It’s also a very
powerful process of professional development. By mandating self-analysis and
reflection, it makes teachers better, whether they certify or not. It stands to
reason that those teachers who spend two or three years immersed in this process
get more out of it than the rest of us. Not that they’d want it that way, of
course, but still.

So here’s
to you guys. The retakers. The advanced candidates. You tried to climb that
mountain, but failed. Then you tried again and made it. Some of you had to try
three times. You’ve shown persistence, perseverance and endurance. You’re role
models for the rest of us who worry about trying something difficult; something
we might not accomplish.

You’re exactly
the kind of people who should be teaching.

Yesterday, Saturday November 17th was "score release day" for NBPTS certification candidates-in-waiting.

Some teachers will open their NBPTS profile to a message of congratulations, others will have to dust themselves off and think about whether to bank scores and attempt to give it another go.

Either way, in my opinion, any teacher who participates in the process should come out the other side having grown. There are always naysayers and exceptions both good and bad, of course, but going through the kind of self-assessment and close examination of practice that is demanded of the NBPTS certification process no doubt pays dividends.

To those of you who now can post those four letters after your name, congratulations and welcome. For those who read and post here–what has pursuing or earning National Board Certification meant to you, your practice, your students and your school?

At some point in nearly every writing assignment I submitted in high school, those three letters were scrawled in the margins: "awk." To clarify for those who have clearer syntax and diction than I do, "awk." stands for "awkward."

What that means, and how specifically to remedy it, is kind of hard to pin down.

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