Just because I should be devotedly working on National Boards and I need a reason to prolong my break I'll blog about it now!
National Board certification is a one-year process of analyzing and assessing and reflecting on my teaching. When I'm done I'll have written 4 15-page portfolio entries, video taped myself a million times, and taken 6 assessment center online essays...and hopefully I'll achieve National Board certification! I'll go from a standard teaching certificate to a master teaching certificate and it will be current for 10 whole years! (Compared to 5 years that a standard is good for.) One other little bonus is that the state will pay me $1500 every year for those 10 years...sounds nice but it used to be $3000 until they halved the budget this summer. But $15,000 is still a lot.
That's all the concrete stuff I'll get, but I have to tell you this is the most rewarding learning I have ever done. People say it's a ton of work, and it is, believe me. I also believe it's worthwhile work that is manageable if you just break it all down and do it a little bit at a time. Thus, my Saturday Starbucks work sessions! I was doing good at the beginning of the school year and I've gotten sidetracked lately. On Saturdays when Chad doesn't have a chiropractor appointment I sneak out of the house at 5:15 and head to Starbucks to get my work done. I love it. I was here this morning before the newspapers and when it was still completely dark and blissfully quiet (except for Starbucks' awesome music...).
Here I am:
Lovely, huh? I actually don't feel as beat up as I look in this picture!!! I think I just look tired...when I actually took a nap yesterday afternoon and then went to sleep at 7:15 after we put Jordan to bed. On another note, our house is a complete wreck seeing as it has been the last of my worries with everything going on like National Boards, teaching in general, the holidays, Christmas cards, spending time with friends and family...if you could see that you would realize, no, I am most certainly not Wonder Woman...although I like to believe I am sometimes. (No, I refuse to provide you with a picture of it...it's not pretty.)
Okay, I've spent enough time on this procrastinating post...back to work!