Erik Amerkiner (EAYA Career and Technical Education) wasn't satisfied with his district's reaction to his becoming National Board Certified this year.  Sure, his principal said, "Great!" and his superintendent honored him at a board meeting as his district's first NBCT.  But he didn't feel they truly appreciated or understood the nature of his accomplishment.  So he decided a little self-promotion might be in order.  He invited the local newspaper to cover the school board meeting where he was to be recognized and receive a certificate from the district.  They featured a photo and an article (which he had to write himself) in the next edition of the paper.  It may not seem like much, but this article changed the way his district viewed and valued National Board Certification.

First, teachers from the district started getting in touch with Erik to find out more about the certification process.  He now hopes that there will be a cohort of National Board candidates at his district and Ventura County who were inspired by the article. 

Second, he contacted his teacher's association to let them know about his experience and inform them about what National Board Certification.  They were highly interested, recognizing the value of the professional development built into the National Board process, and the need to promote the benefits to the district and its teachers and students of having more NBCTs.  As a result of these efforts, the association worked with the district on a new contract that recognizes and supports NBCTs with an annual stipend of $1000 paid each of the 10 years of certification, and retroactive to the previous school year.  This is a huge achievement and instrumental in inspiring more district teachers to pursue certification.

So if your district isn't supporting National Board Certification sufficiently (or at all), follow Erik's example and make it happen.  A little self promotion never hurts!

For more information, visit Erik's webiste at http://erikamerikaner.com