Local teachers earn National Board Certification, raises

By By Georgia E. Frye / staff writer
Jan. 15, 2004
When Kate Griffin Junior High School teacher CoRinne Jordan was working on her National Board Certification last year, she kept her work by the front door in case her house caught on fire.
Jordan said achieving the certification was the most difficult thing she has ever done in her career as a teacher. Other teachers who went through the program agree Virginia Braithwaite, Kate Griffin Junior High; Shelley George, Parents as Teachers preschool; and Shea "Amanda" Leake, Parkview Elementary. But all agreed it was worth it.
More than 8,000 teachers nationwide earned their profession's top honor last year by achieving National Board Certification part of an effort to meet federal mandates to put a highly qualified teacher in every classroom. According to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in Arlington, Va., this brings the number of certified teachers in the U.S. to more than 32,000.
In Meridian, 47 of the district's 536 teachers and counselors have the certification. In Lauderdale County, 52 of 468 teachers and counselors are board certified.
Last year, the states with the highest numbers of teachers achieving National Board Certification were North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, California and Georgia.
The teachers said the National Board Certification process takes about 18 months to complete. It includes four written portfolios, two videotapes and an assessment test. Braithwaite said she thought the self-assessment was the most difficult part of the certification process.
After certification, teachers receive a state-funded $6,000 supplement to their salaries each year for 10 years.
George, who has been teaching for seven years, said she "learned a lot about myself as a teacher, and I learned how much my students are capable of."