In 1993, the National Board opened the doors wide to the profession, saying, this is what the best teaching looks like. See if you can get there. Teachers who try face a daunting task. On average, they pour at least 200 hours into the program. The capstone is a six-hour test of their knowledge of subject area and strategies for teaching it.
Teachers leave it exhausted.
Clearly, this is not for wimps. More than half the teachers who attempt it do not earn certification on the first try. It's also not for novices. For the rest of us, it means reinvigorated classrooms, more thoughtful instruction, better understanding of students' strengths and weaknesses. For Shirley, Matt, Karen, Ruth and Barbara, it means knowing they're the best of the best.