Standout Spartan: Shannon Elsea

Middle School English teacher successfully renews her National Board Certification.
"A rush and a relief." That's how Middle School English teacher Shannon Elsea described learning the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) had renewed her National Board Certification, the teaching profession's highest credential. "I saw the message in my inbox and my heart stopped," she said. The email's header — a picture of fireworks — quickly squelched any panic.

Only 3% of the nation's teachers, and 40% of candidates, receive this voluntary credential, which goes beyond state licensure as a performance-based, peer-reviewed method for assuring faculty expertise in their chosen subject(s) and classroom practice. The initial certification takes an estimated 200-400 hours from start to finish, while renewal takes about half as long.

"I knew it was going to be a sacrifice of time and energy," she said. "But this is the career I've chosen. I want to be the best I can be at it."

The recertification process is centered around a portfolio detailing "professional growth experiences" from working in the classroom. Candidates submit a 10-minute video recording of themselves teaching in addition to a longer written reflection that Mrs. Elsea completed over winter break. She recalls many days writing from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with few breaks between.

To call the work challenging would be an understatement. Mrs. Elsea said the certification process was even more rigorous than graduate work, because while graduate work typically asks teachers to create theoretical assignments, her recertification portfolio was grounded in actual classwork with real students.

"Everything I was working on, I was doing with my students," she said. "I had to reflect on every aspect of each assignment I gave them — why was I asking this question about this book to these students in this class at this point in time? It required me to meet my own students where they were."

Even the quality of the writing itself was unfamiliar. She described it as "uncomfortably analytical," with prompts requiring hard evidence for every statement. To help candidates prepare their sample, NBPTS allows them to choose two readers who can provide feedback and mentorship. Mrs. Elsea tapped her sister — a college English professor — and fifth grade teacher Heidi Bailey, who also successfully completed recertification a few years ago.

"They were very thoughtful and thorough," Mrs. Elsea said. "I had to start my portfolio from scratch two times. I thought I could just reorganize some parts, but from their responses it was clear I needed to rethink the whole thing from the ground up."

In the end, her teaching toolkit turned out all the better for it. "The process was life-changing," she said. "It helped me make my instruction more intentional on every level." Of course, that sort of tireless dedication to detail is exactly what makes Mrs. Elsea a valuable member of the Steward community.
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