#nbpts

[lifeinkinder]

I got 5 pages of national boards written tonight.

My cohort leader holds office hours on the weeks we don't have cohort. So I signed up for a 30 minue check in and an hour and a half of writing time. And whoa boy was it helpful.

That is the most writing I've gotten done in ever with these components.

My page limit is 13 and I still have 7 questions to answer and 1 question that I answered that isn't fleshed out enough so clearly I'm gonna need to do some HEAVY editing.

[lifeinkinder]

My scores weren’t terrible. 

But unless I pull basically perfect scores on the 2 comps this year, I won’t achieve. 

My feedback for c3 was to be more clear in my evidence, especially around pedagogy. Which is not at all surprising because I was unsure about the clarity of my evidence when I submitted.

I’m going to retake c1 - probably in the summer. Somehow though, I scored the highest on the written prompt that I was the most unsure about and felt like I was talking in circles and not answering the prompt. And I scored the lowest on the prompt I was the most confident in. 

I’ll probably redo c3 next year or the year after - depending on how the scores look for c2 & c4 next December.

[lifeinkinder]

National board cohort starts in a month and I feel waaay in over my head doing it this year. Like way more than I did last year because all my stuff was finished before the school closure. I have no idea how anything will work this year. 

[lifeinkinder]

What is NBPTS? It sounds like a test.

NBPTS = National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. 

It’s basically a process to get you to reflect on your practice and in the end you become a better teacher. I’m trying to certify in Early Childhood Generalist (ages 3-8) because I teach kindergarten but there are a bunch of certificate areas. 

There are 4 components - I did two this school year and will do the other two next school year. 

Component 1 is a test - 45 multiple choice questions and 3 30 minute writing prompts. Components 2 & 4are portfolios - that I haven’t really looked at much because I’m taking a break from school-related things for the month of June...mostly. Component 3 is two filmed 15 minute lessons that you basically pick through and explain your teaching choices and your student engagement and such.

At the end, if I certify, my district will pay a yearly stipend. And if I don’t certify (which realistically, I might not because this is HARD) at least the PD hours that come from it will move me over on the pay scale and result in a pay bump anyway. 

As hard as it is, I definitely think it’s worth the reflection on your practice that it forces you to do. 

I don’t claim to be an expert, but I’m definitely down for answering questions if you have them. 

[lifeinkinder]

My NB test is in 8 days and then I’m FREE for the rest of the summer. Hitting the flashcards hard for the next couple of days. Remind me why I thought this was a good idea again. 

[lifeinkinder]

Y’all. Why did I think I could do national boards? I’m in so over my head. And the drop deadline has passed. 

Like okay, I’m pretty confident about the test portion. I’m way less confident about the writing for component 3. Holy wow. I think I’m drowning and I don’t think I’ve been taking this as seriously as I should have been. Like okay, all my videos are finished. And my instructional context for both videos is done. But none of my actual writing is done. 

I’m gonna devote time tomorrow to it and that 2 hours before therapy. And I’m doing a bunch of work on president’s day and try to knock out like a BUNCH of the planning writing and a bit of the written commentary. 

[lifeinkinder]

I went to work today to do some reading and homework stuff for national boards. And to finish rearranging my classroom. 

I’m really hoping this new arrangement works out. Just gotta change carpet arrangement and hopefully, that’ll help mitigate a LOT of the behaviors my kids are having. We shall see though. There are only so many spots on the carpet and when I have a list like 7 long of kids who can’t sit next to specific other kids arrangements are tricky. Even more so when there are two kids who need constant teacher proximity but cannot be near each other because of behaviors. 

Still bribing with m&ms though. 

[drkeshiagaines]

DR. KESHIA GAINES EARNS HER NATIONAL BOARD TEACHER CERTIFICATION! On December 9th, 2023, Dr. Keshia Gaines received the great news that she achieved her National Board Teacher Certification, a prestigious honor bestowed upon only the top 1-3% of teachers in the United States. This achievement is yet another accomplishment, following her Ph.D. in Educational Administration, which she earned in December 2011 from The University of Southern Mississippi. Currently, Dr. Gaines sits among the esteemed 1% of teachers in the United States who have earned both a Ph.D. and a National Board Teacher Certification. For anyone seeking a role model in the field of education, Dr. Gaines stands tall as an example of success, proving that with determination, hard work, and passion for continued education, anyone can rise to academic excellence! To learn more about Dr. Gaines's latest accomplishments and community events, like and follow The Dr. Keshia Gaines Magazine on all social media platforms!