Uhling gains national teaching certification

On Jan. 29, LeAnn Uhling finally received that piece of paper she had been waiting over two years for. It was a certificate with the words "National Board for Professional Teaching Standards" inscribed across the top.

But to LeAnn, a Kindergarten teacher at Saratoga Elementary, that certificate was more than just a piece of paper. That certificate was the culmination of all her hard work and a symbol of her improvement as a teacher.

"I pursued the "National Board Certified process to improve my teaching and student learning. That's the foundation of the whole Board process," Uhling said.

When a teacher is Nationally Board Certified, it is a tremendous accomplishment. According to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, becoming board certified is a "rigorous, peer-reviewed process that ensures that Board-certified teachers have proven skills to advance student achievement."

Even though she has been teaching for 27 years, she was amazed on how much she learned during the process of becoming Board Certified.

"This process led to rigorous self-evaluation. That's a big component of [this process] is self-evaluation and reflection," Uhling said. "And it was very challenging, time intensive and humbling. Because sometimes I found that things that I thought were making a bigger impact on my students didn't have nearly the impact as I thought they did."

The process of becoming a Nationally Board Certified Teacher is as complex as it is long. LeAnn said the Board handed her a portfolio consisting of four entries she had to complete. These entries consisted of Math and Science, Literacy, Social Studies and an Outreach entry which consisted of how her teaching impacts kids beyond her own classroom.

Then, she had to take six 30-minute exams online completing questions pertaining to her content area. Many of these questions consisted of classroom scenarios and how she would give feedback to students.

Calculating the exam scores and the portfolio entries gave her a final score of which she passed in her second year.

LeAnn received her certification in Early Childhood Generalist. She said that this specific certification ranges in ages three to eight.

"There is a broad spectrum in that age group that you are supposed to be familiar with," she said pertaining to the process.

Uhling said she spent a lot of early mornings working before school to finish her certification, sometimes getting up as early as four in the morning to work on her projects before heading to school to teach her class.

"I had a lot of great support going through that process," she said. "And I'm glad I did. I got my certification in my second year and I felt like I wanted to be the teacher that my students deserve. It challenged me. I have always prided myself on being a life-long learner, so it sparked that commitment."

Though she said she has reached one of the greatest accomplishments in her teaching career, Uhling said that she plans to improve her teaching every day.

"Truth is, everyday I have an opportunity to make a difference. I could teach a lesson better, I could say 'thank you' more often and I could be more patient," Uhling said. "Along the way, I celebrate every individual growth in my students and myself and our continued enthusiasm and commitment to learning."

Uhling will be honored for her certification at an Evening of Celebration, Friday night in Cheyenne.

 

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