Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Started My National Board Application

Some of my colleagues at the Knowles Science Teachers meeting wanted to know what it was like to go through the National Board Portfolio process. So I told them and it from that conversation it seems to me that I ought to write a list entitled Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Started My National Board Application.

I wish I'd

• read all the response questions before I even planned the lessons
• joined a National Board Support class/group
• studied harder for the test (harder? this one might be moot, since hindsight is always 20/20, there's no guarantees that I would've studied the right thing - and far be it from me to let slip what's on it)
• I think it probably would've been a really good idea to the Take-One option, so to get my feet wet, feel the whole thing out and then go for the rest of it.
  

Maybe this list will get longer, but that's it for now. (I'm sure I'll refer back to this post when Knowles asks me to present about my NBPTS experience at their summer meeting in July).

National Board Exam - My Impressions

For those of you readers going for National Board Certification or thinking about it, I feel like it's my duty to warn you. The test is hard.

I was told that these were questions "any decent teacher would get right", and so I assumed that meant it would be easy. I checked out the study material online, it didn't look too tough, so I figured I was prepared enough. Although I don't know how I did, I do know that it was WAY more difficult than I anticipated, and so here is my advice: Study.

Basically i'm sworn to secrecy about the actual content - in fact I might have overstepped my bounds by saying it's hard. So, dear NBPTS, please don't drop the hammer on me - I just want people to take this test as seriously as you do.