With a lot of hand-holding, six Spanish teachers earn national certification along with 49 others.
By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published December 10, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG - Fifty-five Pinellas educators have joined the ranks of those who can say they are tops in their field.
Among them are six friends who made a commitment to each other more than a year ago to become better teachers.
The women, who teach Spanish at three St. Petersburg elementary schools, began the grueling process of becoming nationally board certified in October 2002. On Nov. 21, they found out they are among 1,448 educators in Florida and 8,196 nationwide who earned the credential this year from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Lillian Lewis, Sandra Rosado and Maria Wyatt from Perkins Elementary, Nilsa Gomez-Jimenez and Janice Johnson from Bay Point Elementary, and Sylvia Amaya from Campbell Park Elementary agree they could not have completed the process, which requires between 300 and 500 hours of self-evaluation, paperwork and videotaping, on their own.
"I cannot talk about it without talking about my teammates," said Rosado. "I would not have been able to do it without them."
The group's spark came from Lewis and Wyatt, who were National Board test evaluators two years ago.
"When they came back that summer, they were telling us, "This is a lot of work, but we can do this,' " Amaya said. "They encouraged us, and we decided to go for it."
The group met weekly at Rosado's house to immerse themselves in the 14 standards proscribed by the board for mastery in the field of languages other than English. Their sessions were similar to musical chairs. The teachers would type furiously into their Powerbook laptop computers and then switch chairs to read what their neighbor had written. They would proceed around the table, commenting and critiquing, perfecting their essays.
It was enough to bring them to tears at times, but it was worth it in the end, Rosado said.
"They say that once you do your national boards you become a better teacher. It's true," she said. "If I was giving 90 percent before, I had better give 100 percent now."
World languages was added to the National Board's list of available certificates two years ago to give teachers of languages other than English an opportunity to strengthen their subject area, said district world languages supervisor Jan Kucerik. Like other certificate tracks, it forces educators to look at themselves and their teaching methods. It also forces them to look beyond their own resources.
"Teaching is definitely an art that can be improved upon through experience, but sometimes the experience of actually teaching is pretty isolated," Kucerik said. "This is an opportunity to stop and look and see in which ways you are effective and in which ways you need to change in order to help kids learn better."
Florida teachers have become increasingly interested in becoming nationally board certified. The state has 4,940 national board certified teachers, the second most in the country. Their ranks have doubled since 2001, when Florida claimed 2,256.
Many teachers are attracted to national board certification for financial reasons. The Excellent Teaching Program, created in 1998 by Education Commissioner Jim Horne when he was a state senator, provides a 10 percent salary increase to teachers who achieve certification. For a midcareer teacher, that can mean $3,500 a year. Educators who agree to mentor a teacher working toward certification are eligible for an additional 10 percent raise.
But while the financial incentives are attractive, NBPTS president Joe Aguerrebere thinks educators have other motives.
"I think you'll find most of the teachers are going for it because they want to get better at what they do," he said. "At a time when we're trying to improve education in America and we're concerned about all students achieving at higher levels, this is a way for teachers to step up to the plate and say, "I want to do my part.' "
Amaya, who has been teaching for 30 years, said the money was a motivator. But she was more interested in exploring how she could grow as a teacher. She has seen changes in her methods since she completed the requirements for national board certification, most notably in the ways she modifies her lessons for children with different learning styles.
"It doesn't matter if you've taught for two years or 30 years," she said. "There's always room for improvement."
Recognized teachers
Fifty-five Pinellas County teachers earned certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards for 2003:
Patricia L. Albritton, Lakewood Elementary
Margaret Alongi, Ozona Elementary
Sylvia A. Amaya, Campbell Park Elementary
Brenda J. Archer, Countryside High
Kathleen I. Bawel, Gibbs High
Ann H. Bell, Richard L. Sanders School
Joyce E. Bethea, Safety Harbor Middle
Becky S. Bride, Palm Harbor University High
Martha W. Buck, Campbell Park Elementary
Judith L. Cannaday, Palm Harbor University High
Roberta A. Chamberlain, Melrose Elementary
Cheryl F. Cook, Madeira Beach Middle
Maria M. DeKoter, Tarpon Springs Middle
Bridget C. Denny, Azalea Elementary
Susan J. Fisher, McMullen-Booth Elementary
Veronica E. Foley, Bay Point Middle
Cheryl H. Forehand, prekindergarten handicapped
Kathryne C. Gainey, Tarpon Springs Elementary
Nilsa X. Gomez-Jimenez, Bay Point Elementary
Janet N. Hamilton, Sutherland Elementary
Sandra P. Hammond, St. Petersburg High
Tracy M. Hlady, McMullen-Booth Elementary
Maikel D. Izquierdo, Cypress Woods Elementary
Regina N. Johnson, Bay Point Elementary
Janice A. Johnson, Bay Point Elementary
Heather L. Judkins, Seminole High
Mary E. Leanes, Ozona Elementary
Lillian A. Lewis, Perkins Elementary
Julie J. Marley, Sutherland Elementary
Jeanelle M. Martin, Belcher Elementary
Elizabeth W. Middleton, Garrison-Jones Elementary
Nancy P. Miller, Ozona Elementary
Marilyn O. Minchey, St. Petersburg High
Kimen Y. Mitchell, Carwise Middle
Sandra L. Moore, St. Petersburg High
Gloria H. Munoz, St. Petersburg High
Ruth A. Paetzold, Forest Lakes Elementary
Etje E. Ramdohr, Richard L. Sanders School
Veronica D. Reese, San Jose Elementary
Joyce L. Rizzo, Curtis Fundamental Elementary
Sandra N. Rosado, Perkins Elementary
Cheryl P. Russell, Cypress Woods Elementary
Jane A. Schulz, Cypress Woods Elementary
Kerri A. Silvernell, Palm Harbor University High
Christine A. Slaughter, Palm Harbor University High
Kelly L. Sutton, Maximo Elementary
Julie L. Thompson, Pinellas Park High
Dara D. Tucker, Cypress Woods Elementary
Kaye A. Turek, North Shore Elementary
Marga M. Vorhis, Pinellas Park Elementary
Brenda F. Weeks, Tarpon Springs Elementary
Chandra Whidden, Belleair Elementary
Susan M. Wischweh, Tarpon Springs Elementary
Nancy E. Wudtke, Walsingham Elementary
Maria D. Wyatt, Perkins Elementary
Top 10 states by total National Board Certified Teachers as of Dec. 2
North Carolina 6,641
Florida 4,940
South Carolina 3,225
California 2,644
Ohio 2,172
Mississippi 1,761
Georgia 1,323
Oklahoma 858
Illinois 824
Alabama 632
- Source: National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Web site
