By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News



Editor’s Note: This is the second article in a two-part series about teachers who have earned their National Board Certification.



Six teachers in north Jefferson County have recently earned their National Board Certification, an achievement that earns teachers and their schools much acclaim.

Teachers in the north Jefferson County area who received their National Board Certification in November are:

• Leah Nail Commer of Kimberly, a fifth-grade teacher at Kermit Johnson Middle School.

• Teresa Erbrick, a fifth-grade teacher at Bryan Elementary School

• Rhonda Leggio, a first-grade teacher at Gardendale Elementary School

• Rodney Ragland, a seventh-grade math teacher at Bragg Middle School

• Julie Ramsay, a fifth-grade teacher at Fultondale Elementary School

• Jenny Thompson, choir director at Gardendale Elementary School

Thompson, Ramsay and Erbrick were featured in Saturday’s The North Jefferson News. Leggio was unavailable for an interview.



Leah Nail Commer

“I’ve been teaching 25 years. But you’ve never taught enough that you know everything,” said Commer.

The fifth-grade teacher said that earning her National Board Certification has affected her life inside and outside the classroom.

“It helped me examine the things I loved to do in my teaching and ask, ‘Is this something I really need or is this something I just like to do?’” said Commer. “It has validated a lot of things I did already in my teaching.”

Commer said it has especially helped her in the areas of math and science. She said she has learned to integrate the two, adding that tying together subjects is a major factor in the certification process.

“In the past, science and math weren’t integrated like that. It’s work to tie them together,” said Commer. “That was a powerful moment for me.”

Commer said that is important because it helps students become problem solvers and critical thinkers – something that employers are looking for.

“(Employers would) rather them be able to ask an important question than to sit down with an answer,” said Commer.

She said that outside of school, earning the certification has opened doors.

“It has really opened up professional opportunities for me,” she said. “I think I can attribute much of that to my National Board Certification. People recognize you have worked hard to achieve that.”

Commer said she has come out stronger because of the difficult process.

“There have been a few moments in my teaching where I felt really empowered,” she said. “This was one of them.”

Commer has two daughters ages 15 and 16. She said they were both very supportive while she was earning her certification.

“I think it’s a wonderful process,” she said. “It’s worth every sleepless night.”



Rodney Ragland

“I just wanted to find out for myself if I was that caliber, if I had it in me,” said Ragland, a teacher for almost nine years.

Ragland recently earned his master’s degree, but wanted to go further.

“It was just another step I felt like I was ready for,” he said, adding that his next step will be to earn his Ed.S. (educational specialist degree).

Ragland said that he has changed his way of teaching because of what he has learned through the process of earning his certification.

One thing that helped was watching videos of himself teaching in his classroom.

“It’s made me look at whether I’m falling back on the same old style,” he said. “It’s already making me a better teacher.”

Ragland said that beginning the certification process was daunting.

“At the first look, it was pretty overwhelming,” said Ragland.

Also, he and his wife had a baby on Dec. 20, which was right in the middle of the process.

“I took a little time off to celebrate and spend time with her,” he said.

Ragland said that the most significant part of the certification is that it helps him reflect on his impact as a teacher.

“I can’t be a National Board Certified teacher every day. There’s just so much into it, so much thinking about it,” he said. “I’ve left many days saying I’m not a National Board Certified teacher. You just learn from those things.”



Stellar

All of the teachers in this area who received their National Board Certification in November gave credit to the Jefferson County Schools Public Education Foundation’s Stellar Teaching Program, headed up by Pat Cleino.

Stellar provides the $2,500 fee it takes to earn the National Board Certification program, if teachers are accepted into the program.

Stellar also provides a mentor, who is a National Board Certified teacher, for those going through the process.

“The Stellar program helps you break down and organize” the material, said Commer.

Becky Mauldin serves as a Stellar mentor. She teaches business marketing, Web design and graphic design at Mortimer Jordan High School.

“I think there’s a lot of advantage in going through the process,” said Mauldin. “I’m encouraging other teachers to do it.”

Mauldin earned her certification in 2004. She said that getting the certification is more about students than it is about teachers.

“It’s not really about you and your accomplishments,” she said. “It’s about what you do in the classroom and how you’re actually presenting the material.”