Certifiable?
Emmet Rosenfeld was an English teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. He had 13 years of experience as a teacher and writer when he started this blog. In this opinion blog, he chronicled his experiences as he worked toward certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: certification & licensing.
Education
Opinion
Ready to Throw My Canoe
This week for our support class, instead of meeting at the high school we had to post responses to three threads and comment on others’ posts. Below are the questions and my responses.
Education
Opinion
Making Okay Choices
I’m frustrated with myself over the choice of student work for Entry 1 but because I’ve already started the write ups (and also because it’s such a hassle to collect the stuff) I’m hesitant to change now. Neither the ticking clock nor these hoop burns are helping.
Education
Opinion
Snow Daze
The end of an unexpected 6-day weekend is approaching, and the snow and ice that closed school has also put a freeze on my ability to slog ahead on Entry One. Bored with boredom, this morning at last I forced myself to the keyboard to write about work samples I’ve selected for use in my final portfolio entry.
Education
Opinion
Arithmetic of Reading and Writing
To begin an entry, I make a template by retyping directly from the bible the sections and the questions listed under “Composing My Written Commentary.” Gluttons for minutiae may see one below (if you’re certifying in EA/ELA consider it my gift to you for being a loyal reader).
Education
Opinion
The Usual Magic
I am writing this while standing up. It’s 9:20 pm and I am at a computer in a lectern in Room 127A at the community college where I teach a freshman comp class two nights a week. I am not lecturing—the part where I talk is done for tonight. But the classroom is buzzing with voices.
Education
Opinion
Another Gray Hair
When I got home from work on January 23, there was an open letter on the table near the door. From NBPTS and dated January 9, it said I hadn’t submitted the required forms to confirm my eligibility. If I didn’t do so by January 31, I was out of luck. As in, not a candidate this year.
Education
Opinion
Stung
It’s true that I said, “It’s all about the money,” and also wondered whether or not the NBPTS process might have a negative impact on my teaching this year, as reported in Michael Alison Chandler’s Washington Post Jan 22 article about the National Board, “Teachers Tackle Their Own Extra Credit.”
Education
Opinion
8:46.08- 8:49.03
On to Entry Three, “Instructional Analysis: Small Groups.” This time, my faithful Hum partner Jen filmed me as I checked in with kids working in small groups of 3-6 on a creative project called “3 D Posters.”
Education
Opinion
Tuesdays with Teachers
Tuesday is the last meeting of a graduate course I teach for GMU called “The Teaching of Writing.” This farewell class will take place at a local pub and feature a “readaround” where we’ll share and respond to pieces developed in workshop that are collated in a class anthology, titled (by class vote) Tuesdays with Emmet.
Education
Opinion
Same Bat Channel (different year)
When we last left our hero he was dangling over a vat of boiling eggnog fiddling with a utility belt that had suddenly grown a couple of notches too small over the holidays. We now return to our regularly scheduled program, in which said hero makes his escape by completing the task of listing three factoids about the ninth grade class he videotaped in the media center that relate to the remaining five standards pertinent to Entry Two.
Education
Opinion
A Visit from Saint Nbpts
Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house
And all through the house
Education
Opinion
The Truth About Blogs and Thats
I know that after last post you are waiting at the edge of your feed-readers to discover how my videotape of kids learning about databases in the library displays the rest of the ten standards related to Entry Two. And believe me, I want to discover this too. However, please allow me a week’s digression to pick the lint out of the bellybutton of my blog, and simultaneously fulfill a request to write a quick piece about it from the editor of the NVWP’s Journal.
Education
Opinion
Not My Favorite Things
Eating liver. Grading papers. Doing the dishes. It’s not that there’s nothing to be said for activities like these. It’s just, most of it isn’t good. Especially when you’re at the beginning of the process, feeling put off by the idea of the work rather than the work itself. Which sometimes isn’t that bad (except for the liver). In the spirit of one bite at a time, here is a list of just three little things from the first five of the ten standards which apply to Entry Two. After all, I’ve only got 16 double-spaced pages to go.
Education
Opinion
Teach By Numbers
Last Thursday I gave a lesson in the media center on how to use the databases for scientific research and had kids start working on a “search ladder” that helps them find good sources to use for upcoming “idea papers.” One really great thing about the lesson was that the librarian (sorry-- media center specialist) was kind enough to videotape me three periods in a row. The first time, we worked on camera angles and where to place the mic. The second time, the camera somehow clicked off. And the third time.... we got it! Usable footage.