Embrace Rigor, Put Students First
Jodie Carlile teaches 7th grade English Language Arts at Chief Moses Middle School in Moses Lake. She’s the NBCT coordinator for her district, an NBCT Regional Coordinator for ESD 171, and is part of her school’s Leadership Team and ELA Department Head.
Why did you decide to become Nationally Board Certified?
I decided to become certified because it was the next step for me in my career. It was more or less a calling. I was just finishing my 3rd year of teaching, and thought, “now what?” I had already earned my Master’s Degree during my first year of teaching, and I had also been a part of the Teacher Leadership Project/Gates Grant. I needed something else to grow from. A friend was working on her certification and I asked her about it. After hearing what she had to say, I knew that it was the right path for me.
I wanted to focus on the “why.” Why this lesson for these students at this time? Why this goal for this student? I had a filing cabinet full of resources, but I wanted to know that they were the right resources for my students and the only way to challenge that was to evaluate what I wanted my students to know and why. I wanted to examine my teaching philosophy to be able to support the reasoning behind what I was doing for my students at this time was right for them.
What are the most common successes you’ve experienced with educators undergoing the NBCT process?
The most common successes I’ve experience with educators undergoing this process is the deep dive they take into their teaching practice. I love seeing a cohort of candidates dig deep to evaluate their content knowledge and pedagogy, teaching strategies, and knowledge about the students in their classroom. Just like a teacher loves to see the growth a student makes over the course of the school year, I love to see my candidates grow in their teaching practice.
What have you learned from this process, and what do you see utilized in the classroom?
I have learned to embrace the word “rigor.” I look at everything I do in my job and I evaluate the “why.” Why am I doing this and how will this benefit my students? I need to see the direct correlation to my students’ learning. I take the thoroughness that this has brought into my teaching practice and I carry it forward to other professional development that I am a part of. I went through the process in my fourth year of teaching. By my seventh, I was facilitating candidates and have been ever since. I’m in my 17th year of teaching, and I now coordinate the National Board program for my district. National Board is a part of who I am, a part of my classroom.
What do you love about education in Washington?
I love all of the opportunities for professional development in Washington. Washington educators are fortunate to have these opportunities to learn and grow. I also love the systems approach to learning and growing in Washington state. From OSPI, to the ESD, to the district. Our district does a great job of bringing in resources and professional development for our teachers. I don’t feel like we’re lacking in any that way at all.
Washington embraces our systems and any opportunity to share knowledge. I feel at any time I can access a resource to help with the needs of my students.
What advice can you give other Washington educators?
Advice I would give other Washington educators would be to take advantage of all the professional development opportunities Washington has to offer. Plan ahead and think for not only your future, but the future of your students.
I think being really goal-oriented for students is the biggest part of my teaching. In my ELA foundations class, most of those students have IEPs and goals associated with those plans. I help shape those. Our IEP Coordinator will tell you, I am dedicated to those goals and look for them ever August! I need to know what my students need to know this year. Just looking at those goals and being able to reset, and move forward is the biggest piece of my instruction. Knowing your students and their need is so important. Not your classroom set up or curriculum, you need to know your students and their needs.
