Starting with the end: Entry 4

When I first began actually working on National Board, I started with Entry 4, mostly because it seemed like the easiest place to start. Entry 4 is the only entry that is the same for all candidates, regardless of the certificate that you pursue. When you first begin looking at this entry, it's very easy to think you know exactly what you are doing. However, once you begin to write the entries and then pause or go back and reread, you begin to doubt yourself a bit. You wonder if your accomplishments are good enough or "worthy" of inclusion in your entry.

One thing I have learned through the process so far and through all of the reading I have is that it has absolutely nothing to do with you! This is not the "brag" entry. It isn't where you show everyone how freaking fabulous you are and show off your fabulocity.

Nope. It's all about the kids. Just like the rest of the portfolio. Even though it's glaringly obvious if you really read the entry directions...a lot of people struggle on this one because we want to be proud of what we have done. I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination as I am only a first-time candidate. However, I know that when I first started my Entry 4 writing, I had a lot of stuff that focused more on me than the kids. So revision will happen in a big way. I have already made some changes as I've gone along, but it's amazing how much your thinking changes the more you read, the more you reflect and the more you really dig into this process.

The three categories of accomplishments are: Partnering with Families and Community, Teacher as Learner and Teacher as Leader. Over the summer, I was positive I knew exactly what accomplishments I was going to use (because they can be from the last 5 years except for the Partner with Families which needs to be from the current school year). As I have written, reflected, revised and gathered my evidence, however, I have realized that I have more to say about some things and less about others. My priorities have changed. My thinking has changed.

I think this is all part of the process. You really learn to reflect, to internalize what you are doing and WHY you are doing it and ultimately think about WHY and HOW it has made a difference for kids. It's all about the student impact.

I have put aside my Entry 4 for the moment as I am the type of person who needs to let things ruminate a bit...but I know that this was still a good place to me to begin. As I go through the last 3 months of this part of the NB process, I have a clearer and more focused vision in terms of how I want myself represented on paper and how I want the student impact to shine through in my writing.

As I push forward with Entry 2, I have all of the new knowledge I have gained and learned as I've worked on Entry 4. To me, it is much easier to mess up Entry 4 and make huge changes than learn those lessons halfway or three quarters of the way through the "meatier" entries of 1, 2 and 3.