Dear Future National Board Certified Teacher,

It is not enough to say, “I want to be a teacher” when I graduate. In your generation, and in the work force that you will join, distinguishing yourself from the crowd of “wanna be’s” will be a necessary challenge. Ordinary performance will not be enough to get employed. Extraordinary performance will be required and expected of teachers who will serve students with individual learning experiences that promise to propel their academic success and job opportunities forward.  Will you be ready and committed to provide those experiences in the role of a professional teacher anytime and anywhere?

How will you demonstrate to employers, anywhere in the country, that YOU are extremely qualified and prepared to make a difference in a student’s life beginning on DAY ONE of your teaching assignment? What if you don’t have extra help during your first days and years on the job? Will you be able to depend on yourself to find the resources and support you may need to help students learn? How will you ensure that you have the knowledge, skills and dispositions to be the BEST at helping children learn in the 21st century? What could you learn NOW, before you select your credential and degree program, to shape your teaching journey? What experiences, tools and people could you access?

At National University, we want to assist you in becoming a highly accomplished beginning teacher who will outshine others who seek the position that you want as you enter the job market. We offer you options, choices, quality instructors, online and mobile learning tools and access to our unique National Board Certified Teacher Development Center so that together, a relevant and meaningful “learning journey” will be shaped to meet your needs and goals. Participation at National University will results in moving from a high school graduate to a university graduate with a degree and teaching credential that sets you apart from others who want to teach.

How do we do it?  First, we start NOW, while you are still in high school, just thinking about your career—and strongly considering that you want to become a teacher.  We invite you to participate with National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in our virtual Learning Community Team where you gain 24/7  access to hundreds of  “big brother/sister” NBC teachers who may coach and mentor you in your understanding and concerns about the field of teaching and college life. You will be invited to our local and national NBCT events and you’ll have opportunities to observe and visit classrooms of NBCTs, virtually AND on site!  

Not only do you get an excellent role model “teacher buddy”, you’ll get loads of information, resources and reading materials that we have selected just for grads who are considering teaching—materials that we KNOW you should be familiar with BEFORE you begin to enter teaching, so that you are “armed” with a better understanding of expectations for 21st century teachers.

You are a high school student; you know how fast life around you is changing and how technology is impacting how we learn, where we learn and when we learn.  If you want to be an extraordinary teacher, you will need to be prepared differently from traditional models. You’ll need to work harder, smarter and with a deeper commitment and determination to be extraordinarily prepared to teach, starting NOW.

National Board Certified Teachers are experts in their profession and available to you through National University, School of Education.  As you decide to enter a formal program, your NBCT coaches (big brothers/sisters coaches) will walk beside you be available to you as friends, resources, mentors and collaborative colleagues during pre-service and beyond. The leadership, skills and compassion of our NU- PTDC National Board Certified Teachers will inspire the development of YOUR leadership, skills and compassion to serve in this nobel profession.

My name if Ronarae (Rae) Adams. I am a National Board Certified Teacher and a Lead Faculty in the School of Education at National University.  It is my passion and obligation to inspire and shape extraordinary, highly accomplished teachers for the benefit of kids, schools and communities.  I invite you to move further in your consideration to become a teacher. We need those of you who are ready and excited about the hard work and the rewards that await professional educators.

Please email or call me directly for your invitation and instructions to join our virtual community team and connect with an NBCT big brother/sister.  We are anxious to “find” you and to offer you unique and valued preservice experiences.  Call anytime to “chat” about teaching, learning and leadership and programs.

YOU will make the undeniable impact on our future and we want to support you with the tools that will make a difference. Please check out this link to get our invitation to join the NBCT network. http://www.nuptdc.org/future-educators.html

Respectfully,

Ronarae Adams, NBCT
NBCT Program Director, PTDC Director, Lead Faculty
National University, School of Education
858-642-8352  or cell; 858-926-6196;  radams@nu.edu