Getting Started

Well, I've officially started my fourth entry for my National Boards. The cool thing about this is I can do my entries in which ever order I choose, as they all get sent to San Antonio at the same time. Entry 4 is the easiest one to get started on over the summer. It is documentation (and reflection and analysis) of my professional accomplishments. Some has to be done this coming year, but I've started really working on what I can use from the last five years (going back to March of 2003). I also will know what I need to do this year to round out this entry. I have to have a good portion of it done by about a month from now when we have our first cadre meeting.

We got a bunch of stuff for this at Target last night. Printer paper, pens, highlighters, a pencil case, and dividers for the 3-ring notebook I had already purchased. Things are printed up, organized, and work has commenced.

got it!

i got my new cd today. i'm assuming that it is the correct one. actually, i'm checking right now to see if it is. (yep, it is!)

now all i (still) need is paper so i can print everything up so i can start marking things up. :-)

trying again

i called national boards today to see what they could tell me about my CD that is supposed to be here by now. they're going to send me another one and call me when it goes out so i can track it this time. i really hope i have it before school starts.

i got a 2" three-ring binder this weekend and i've downloaded the stuff i need from the national boards website. now all we need is paper so i can print up the stuff and get going on highlighting and marking. i have everything as an adobe file, but i would really rather have a hard copy in front of me. that's just what works best for me.

yup. it was wrong

i got the right cd label, but the contents of the cd were wrong. i called the hotline this morning and they are putting a new and correct cd in the mail to me. i should have it by the end of next week. i'm really anxious to get going on this. i can't do any work on my entries until i get my cd. what i can do, however, is get the paperwork into my district to verify my years teaching, etc.

Interesting message

We're on vacation right now so my box is probably waiting for me at home. I had a message when we checked yesterday saying that during a quality control check, it was discovered that some of the EA/YA (early adolescence/young adult) music CDs got labeled as EMC (early/middle childhood) and vice versa. I was instructed to check my CD and if it's faulty, to call their 800 number to get a correct CD.

Why is this important, you may ask. Well, the CD has absolutely EVERYTHING I'll need as far as information goes for my candidacy. All of my standards, what to put in each entry of the portfolio, etc. This is basically the instruction manual. It would not be good to get the wrong manual (think about getting the manual for a Ford 'Stang instead of for your Taurus). That will be one of the first things I do when I get home and get my box is open it up and check the CD.

I have started thinking about what I want to do for my entries. I think I'm going to do middle school for one of my entries. It will be excellent for the reflective analysis bit I have to do, especially since middle school will be new for me this year. However, I am also thinking that doing something brand new might not be the best idea for something as important as National Boards. I think I'll bounce that idea off of some friends who have already done their boards and see what they think. I'll probably go with their recommendation.

Today I e-mailed the middle school teachers at my school to see about meeting later in the summer so I can figure out where to set the bar for the kids this year. I'm keeping a hard copy of the e-mail so I can potentially use it as supporting evidence when I send in my entries in March. Like I said, I've never taught middle school before so I really don't know what they are capable of doing. This coming year will be a lot of tweaking as we go. Next year ('08-'09) will be much easier. It's almost like I'm starting teaching all over again. Thinking about things, I've now taught for seven years. What is it that people say about the seven year itch? Interesting how in my 8th year, I'm starting a new segment in teaching. Doesn't that sound all existential and stuff?

no turning back now!

i paid my $565 on thursday night. i'm officially registered. my box will probably come in the next week or so. i have summer homework: learn my standards, start on entry 4 (professional accomplishments), and read my portfolio.

oh, and i received a congratulations card from my dad in the mail yesterday - with a check for $565. i was floored. thanks, dad!

One for Two

Well, I got notice from the state that I didn't get that scholarship. That's ok with me. I got the right scholarship for only getting one (meaning, I got the one that covers the most of the fees.) Oh, and there was one other teacher at my school who applied for both scholarships and she also got the school district one. I'm excited to have someone at school to do this whole process with.

I register tomorrow! Yikes! This is getting real. :-)