Yes, I have done both. The National Board support group was provided
through the Chicago Teachers Union and it was the BEST decision I could
have made. They worked to provide us with the professional development
we needed to improve our practice and gave us the mentoring support in
preparation of our entries. I feel that the National Board program had
much more impact on what I do in my classroom/library than did the
Masters Degree program from Dominican University in River Forest (a
suburb of Chicago). I suppose I should have prefaced my comments with
the statement that I see myself as a Teacher who happens to teach in
the library, rather than a Librarian who happens to work in a school.
Therefore, the teaching aspects of my job and the teacher point of view
take precedence in my mind. So, partly for that reason, the
enhancements to my teaching ability from the reflection that is
interwoven with the National Board process has been most important to
me.
The amount of effort required is similar, in fact, they told us as we
prepared to begin our National Board Certification process, that it
would be like getting a Masters Degree in less than a year, while
continuing to teach full time. The pressure was considerable, but at
the same time it was exhilarating to work with a cohort of dedicated
teachers such as those in my group. We were told to pretty much clear
our schedule of responsibilities for the year, and that it would
probably not be a good idea to do this unless our families were
supportive of our candidacy. I found that to be very good advice.
Both my husband and my mother, who lives downstairs, took up the slack
on lots of occasions, and we have no children at home any more. A
mother with small children would find it even more difficult.
If you or anyone has any questions about the National Board
Certification process, i would be happy to answer them off list. Also,
to summarize, it was a terrific opportunity, that I would recommend to
anyone who can make the time available to do it.
On Mar 9, 2005, at 12:19 PM, Jo Sykes wrote:
> How do you compare obtaining your master's degree with obtaining your
> national board certification? Has anyone done both? How does your
> school
> districts handle National Board Certification - any extra money given
> for
> this?
>
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Gail Smith, NBCT
Librarian & Tech Facilitator
Edison Regional Gifted Center - Chicago, Illinois
gsmith@edison.cps.k12.il.us
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