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Laura Eidson Talks About the Importance of National Board Certified Teachers and Improving Student Discourse
Laura Eidson

Sumner-Bonney Lake School District teacher finds herself empowered by the certification process

Laura Eidson is a teacher in the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District, where she currently teaches first grade, and she just went through the National Board Certification process and received her certification. The process had a positive and powerful effect on her approaches as a teacher.

"I have learned so much about myself as a teacher," Laura commented in a discussion on her experiences. "And it really, really helped me to reflect on my students and learn how to better reflect on their learning."

As an example of how the certification affected her teaching methods, Laura noted one way she is working to increase the student discourse through the use of white boards, or nonpermanent surfaces. "I've chosen to use my white board here in my classroom, and I will give my students a problem -- it could be in math, or it could be in literacy." After that, the students are able to work out the problems on their own board sections, where Laura pointed out the advantages of a nonpermanent surface. "It offers students the opportunity to erase their thinking, change their thinking," Laura added. "As they're working here on the board, they can look toward another group working on the same problem to just kind of check their understanding."

As a practitioner and teacher, Laura enjoys being able to rove around the room during these moments, as well as to stand in the middle of her classroom and do a quick check for understanding. "And so I'm then able to adjust my instruction, or increase the rigor," she added. "So I'm very, very excited to bring this to my classroom this year."

In a few weeks, Laura will welcome her students' families in, and she is excited to share with them that she is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher, and that "I have demonstrated that I am a lifelong learner, and I have a growth mindset in going through this process and being able to reflect on my teaching and make appropriate changes," she commented. "To help give students the best that they can get."

Learn more about Laura in her own words at https://youtu.be/dq_3ONJpwO0, and view additional interviews with National Board Certified Teachers in our NBCT Spotlight at https://www.psesd.org/news.

Meanwhile, to learn more about becoming Nationally Board Certified, head to https://www.nbpts.org/

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