The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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January 11, 2009

St. Peter's certified seven

School district has seven nationally certified teachers

By Tanner Kent

ST PETER — Robyn Woods gave up trail time on several family snowmobile trips.

Brenda Guappone, who has two young children, had to exchange much-needed rest for quiet 3:30 a.m. work hours. Others gave up watching their favorite TV shows, most sacrificed time with their families.

But all of the seven St. Peter School District teachers who undertook — and finished — the grueling and often years-long national certification process gave one thing in common: themselves.

“This became a personal challenge to me,” said Guappone, a St. Peter fifth-grade teacher, as she gazed over a table smattered with stacks of paper, dozens of labeled folders and three-ring binders.

“I wanted to see if I could do it.”

In Minnesota, few have.

Statewide, only 319 teachers are certified through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. With seven, St. Peter now ranks first in the state in percentage of staff with national certification. In sheer numbers, only the Minneapolis, St. Paul, Edina and Minnetonka public school districts have more certified teachers.

“These teachers put themselves out on a limb with a real test of their abilities,” said St. Peter Supt. Jeff Olson. “And they certainly proved themselves.”

The process is both comprehensive and exhaustive, to say the least.

In fact, St. Peter’s seven kicked off the process in 2005 when the district formed a support group for any teachers wanting to attempt the process. More than a dozen teachers attended the first informational meeting with 14 actually beginning the certification process. Half of them dropped out along the way, mostly because of time and family constraints.

A few, however, earned certification in the first year. A few more followed in the next two years. Along the way, those within the process leaned on each other for support. And they sought counsel from Ruth Heilman, a nationally certified teacher in the Mankato Area School District who advised the St. Peter teachers.

“This process isn’t for everybody,” Woods said. “There’s a huge commitment of time and energy. I couldn’t have done it by myself.”

The process required that teachers prove their efficiency and skill in all areas of teaching, from knowledge of teaching resources and strategies, to emotional and behavioral needs of their students to the varied ways in which students receive instruction.

To document they meet all standards, teachers keep extensive notes and evidence. They are asked to videotape their teaching and analyze their own performances. They construct portfolios of their work.

To conclude the process, teachers submit to a four-hour exam which tests knowledge of their own subject area. Guappone, a fifth-grade teacher, was asked questions about all curriculum disciplines, including those, such as art and music that are usually reserved for specialists. Woods, an elementary music teacher, actually had to compose music for part of her test.

“Some of this stuff I

hadn’t seen since college,” Woods said.

Guappone added: “I really had to increase my knowledge in other curriculum areas.”

After earning their certifications, St. Peter’s seven teachers earned a small salary bonus and 10 credit hours through Minnesota State University.

Olson said the district is planning to start another cohort in the spring to help another group of teachers earn national certification.

“This was an opportunity to get better as a teacher, to grow as an educator,” said high school media specialist Howard Strey, who was among St. Peter’s first to earn certification. “It was a tremendous learning experience.”

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