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45 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, January 24, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 11, 2004 Sams Valley Elementary School teacher Trey Jenkins works on a measuring project with fifth-grader Noe Gonzalez. Jenkins and four other teachers in the Rogue Valley recently earned certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell They teach the children well By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune After going through a rigorous national certification process, five Jackson County teachers — four of them in the Central Point School District and one in Medford — have earned recognition for the way they teach and a reminder about why they teach. "It helped bring me back to my students," said Julie Rossi, an eighth-grade language arts teacher at Hanby Middle School. "I’m having more fun this year and I think I’m more successful." Along with Rossi, Trey Jenkins and Mack Lewis, both teachers at Sams Valley Elementary, and Erika Peyralans, who teaches at Mae Richardson Elementary, earned the voluntary certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. "We’re very proud of them," said Randy Gravon, director of personnel and elementary education at the Central Point district. "They are a great credit to their profession." Advertisement Elisa North, second-grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary in Medford, also earned the certification. Statewide, 56 teachers earned the national certification this year, bringing the total number of nationally certified teachers in Oregon to 147. Nationwide there are 40,200 certified teachers. To earn national certification, teachers prepare portfolios demonstrating their work with videotapes, samples of student progress and written analysis of their teaching strategies and results. They also take an essay test in which they describe how they would respond to classroom scenarios. "It was a chance to reflect on my practice," said Peyralans, who teaches fifth grade. She taught first grade last year and earned her certificate in early childhood education. As budget cuts force teachers to do more with less, reflection time is often rare, she said. "With this I had a chance to really analyze and see how I can reach all kids." North said the certification process helped her evaluate what she does in the class-room. "I see what works so kids can learn more," she said. "It all boils down to what’s best for them." Jenkins, who teaches a class of fourth- and fifth-graders at Sams Valley, also praised the process. "The greatest deal of learning is in the journey, not the destination," he said. Still, he’s pleased his hard work paid off. The certification offers personal satisfaction and a boost on his resume should he decide to pursue a dream of teaching overseas, he said. Neither the Central Point nor Medford district offers a boost in pay for teachers who are nationally certified. Several of the newly certified teachers said they would like to see such a program in place. The assessment measures what the national board thinks master teachers should know. Studies have shown that certified teachers’ students outperform their peers in other classes, the board said. Lewis said he initially doubted the value of teachers proving themselves against outside standards, but now he plans to advocate for schools to be judged on teaching standards as well as standards students must meet. "It’s impossible to do this without becoming a better teacher," he said of the certification process. "It made me stop and think about what I love about teaching. When I’m having a great time, so are the kids and they are learning." Ford Foundation, union help with fees Some teachers seeking national certification got help from the Ford Family Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization based in Roseburg. The foundation, which supports improving education, especially in rural areas, provided $2,000 scholarships to teachers at rural schools to help them pay the $2,300 application fee to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Teachers in the Central Point district qualified for the help. "The Ford Family Foundation cares about educational resources," said Erika Peyralans, a scholarship recipient who teaches at Mae Richardson Elementary School. The scholarship made the certification process an affordable way to improve her credentials, she said. When rural teachers supported by the foundation earn certification, their schools also get a $2,500 teacher quality grant. In Medford, newly nationally certified Jefferson Elementary School teacher Elisa North didn’t qualify for a scholarship from the Ford Family Foundation, but the Oregon Education Association, the teachers’ union, helped pay her fees. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers