I’ve set a few New Year’s resolutions and most likely you have, too. I plan to exercise weekly, curb my sugar appetite, study Paul’s journey from the Bible, complete reading Mindset by Carol Dweck and write a book.

Mostly, it will be an interesting year for questions that yet have answers and for answers of previously asked questions.

As you begin the New Year, I’d like to share a few suggestions in integrating aspects of the Five Core Propositions in the National Board Certification process.

Proposition 1: Teachers are committed to students and learning

·         Believe that all of your students can learn and act on that belief. Truly know your students.

·         Recognize the importance that your students need to learn how to deal with and learn from their own experiences.

Proposition 2: Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students

·         Be a continual learner of your content and how it relates to your students. Learn something new this year!

·         Develop the critical and analytical capacities of your students. Explore learning with your students for the sake of learning without a grade.

Proposition 3: Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning

·         To be successful, know that your students need love and hugs; but, also, need discipline, rules, limits and someone to say no.

·         Know that your students need a chance to fall down and get back up on their own.

Proposition 4: Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience

·         Help your students acquire the focus and persistence they will need for long-term goals such as improving their own running speed, winning a chess tournament, or creating the best recipe in a cooking contest.

·         Read Stanford University’s Walter Mischel ‘s 1972 marshmallow test regarding the ability to delay gratification and determine self-control measures.

Proposition 5: Teachers are members of learning communities

·         Organize a book club of educators and study a relevant book for your learning community. My December 2013 newsletter provided several suggestions.

 ·        Find a colleague that will begin the National Board process with you in 2014. NBPTS is launching a much more manageable National Board Certification process in the Spring of 2014.

Make it your goal to be a National Board Certified Teacher by the year 2017! You can do this!

We learn most from our perceptive critics, for whoever learned from indiscriminate praise?

-Paul Greenberg, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette