As Schuylerville educator Amy Steele-Whitney marked 25 years of teaching, she also achieved a prestigious honor: National Board Certification in the area of Early and Middle Childhood Literacy. Her journey to certification spanned three years, a time period Steele-Whitney says was full of reflection, growth, and adaptation. Her path to certification began as a response to the challenges she faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Forced to adapt to virtual and hybrid learning environments, Steele-Whitney was also forced to shift her teaching practices.
“I said to myself, I can either retreat or take the bull by the horns,” said Steele-Whitney, reflecting on the early days of the pandemic. “I was forced to rethink how I taught because I had to.”
The mindset of embracing challenges head-on became a cornerstone of Steele-Whitney’s approach to both teaching and learning, ultimately guiding her to pursue National Board Certification.
The National Board Certification process is known for its rigor and demands, requiring teachers to evaluate their practices deeply and thoughtfully. For Steele-Whitney, the process was both invigorating and enlightening.
“As student teachers, we are expected to reflect on our unit and lesson planning, lesson execution, student engagement, and classroom management,” she explained. “We are asked to reflect so much, that I would argue it becomes ingrained in your teaching routine. However, after years of teaching, your confidence grows and your life priorities shift, and that reflection can become duller. The National Board process shines that dull because it pushes you to deeply reflect. It’s as if you are once again a young, student teacher, but now with the confidence of experience. You can identify the strong practices you use every day, but make tweaks and adjustments to improve your practice. For me, this opportunity was refreshing and invigorating because it ignited in me the passion I had as a student teacher to learn and grow as an educator that works to do what is best for students.”
Steele-Whitney’s experience aligns with the core principles of the National Board Certification, which emphasize lifelong learning, professional growth, and a commitment to student success. The process challenges educators to reflect on their teaching practices and make adjustments that improve student outcomes.
“It really made me look at what I’m doing in the classroom and self-reflect,” she said. “You make little shifts along the way that are easy to implement, but impactful.”
Steele-Whitney’s completion of National Board Certification empowered her to take on a transformative role in curriculum leadership within the district. She is currently serving as Schuylerville’s K-12 Curriculum Coordinator, working with teachers on curriculum development and providing classroom support. Steele-Whitney says her National Board Certification positions her to provide meaningful support to her colleagues.
“It helped me realize that we have to reach out to each other,” she said. “My certification has helped me to better understand the challenges teachers face and how to best support them in their growth.
In New York State, only 2,378 teachers are Nationally Board Certified, and Steele-Whitney is proud to be one of them.
“It felt like a labor of love, but also a necessary step in my journey as an educator,” she said. “The process reignited my passion for teaching and learning and reminded me that no matter how long you’ve been teaching, there’s always room to grow.”
National Board Certification Process
National Board candidates must adhere to the National Board’s Five Core Propositions:
- Teachers are committed to students and their learning.
- Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.
- Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.
- Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.
- Teachers are members of learning communities.
In addition, National Board teachers have teaching standards in their certification area that they must uphold and provide evidence of when they submit for certification.
- Component 1 is a computer based assessment on content knowledge.
- Component 2 is a portfolio entry consisting of student work and teacher analysis commentary regarding differentiation in instruction.
- Component 3 is a portfolio entry that requires two lesson video recordings and written analysis to demonstrate a teacher’s engagement with students and the impact on their learning.
- Component 4 is a portfolio entry to demonstrate a teacher’s knowledge of assessments and practices to effectively plan for student learning. The portfolio also requires teachers to show evidence of collaboration with families, the community, colleagues, and learning communities to promote student growth.