Maggie Jolly
February 20, 2008
Dear Mr. Broitman and Members of the Board,
I was not comfortable sharing a testimony at the celebration in Cheyenne, but I feel compelled to share my experience and my gratitude with the Board. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
When I began the process of becoming a National Board Certified teacher I remember a feeling of uncertainty and excitement. I attended a jump-start and it was there that I first became concerned about the fact that I am organizationally challenged and organizational skills seemed very necessary! It wasn’t until I looked back on it that I could see where each piece of the process although difficult and challenging helped me to grow.
I was not a successful as a student in my younger days. I recently found a progress report written by a teacher I had my senior year in high school. “She is failing again” was all the note said. In a word, my high school career was not what one would call “stellar”. As an adolescent I bounced around, and fell into trouble. I can recall the principal telling me “people like you don’t ever amount to anything.” And so an idea of expected failure followed me most of my life, not just because of this statement, but also because of my own choices and experiences.
When I got my first teaching position I felt at home at last. The classroom became a stage, a canvas, a doorway through which my students and I explored the wide, wide world. I loved being with the children, I admired their courage and their “every day is a new beginning” approach to life. I felt successful.
I again experienced the trepidation of potential failure when I started a Master’s degree five years into my career. I studied Creative Arts and found the work enjoyable and easily transferred to my students. I completed this degree and I felt successful.
But no professional undertaking or accomplishment could compare to the academic rigor of the National Board process. Throughout the process, I was challenged to reflect on my practice, the reasoning behind my instructional decisions and the impact my work had on children. To me this part was the most enlightening. As a lover of teaching and learning, I take what I do and how it impacts children very seriously. Words cannot express the near panic I felt as I realized that some of what I did in my classroom did not impact children and their learning as significantly as I assumed. Upon careful inspection of my work I found that I had many areas in which I could grow myself as an educator.
It was these discoveries that made me so grateful for the support I received during the process. I had exceptional candidate support providers available locally and around the state and in addition, the Ellbogen Foundation provided resources and services that were invaluable.
From receiving the box, to doing the work, to throwing it dramatically in the garbage only to retrieve it after I had composed myself, to struggling through the packing, to the ceremonial drive to the post office I have been grateful for and blessed by each step of this journey. It is truly a “you can’t see the forest until you get out of the trees” type of an experience, or at least it was for me. I believe that whether I had certified or not, I am successful. I know I am better for having participated in the process. And for that knowledge, I am grateful.
Maggie Jolly, NBCT