...but it helps.
I've started and re-started this particular blog several times, because it is difficult. The sort of difficult that makes you go, "Hmmm, and why am I doing this? What's my purpose?"
Which, curiously enough, strikes at the heart of the question that many of us have struggled with, or are struggling with: Should one pursue National Board certification?
The knee-jerk response should be an unequivocal "Yes!"
But nothing in Theatre education is ever that simple. From trying to justify our content area to other teachers, parents, students, people at dinner parties or whatever circles one moves in, you do feel at times that you're repeatedly slamming your head into a brick wall trying to argue that, yes, theatre is not just an important part of an individual's education, but essential. Sometimes I find that teachers of English who don't have intentions of ever teaching theatre are the hardest sell. Of late, that perspective feels even more pronounced: in the middle of what seems an unprecedented, almost psychotic focus on standards, and testing, and teacher evaluations based on test scores, theatre has once again been pushed to the sidelines as not 'worthy' of national scrutiny or focus. Theatre is an 'easy' option; you just 'play games all day,' and (fill in the blank here with your own favorite condescending belittling statement of what teaching theatre looks like. You know you've heard several in the last week alone).
Theatre needs, and deserves, validation and recognition not just within the educational theatre community. The EdTA community is a beautifully encouraging jewel in the crown of theatre teachers everywhere, encouraging and affirming in multiple ways. We, as theatre educators, as students, as administrators, all know its validity, for we otherwise wouldn't be as passionate and inspired to teach it and practice it as we do. We don't need the research to tell us that an excellent theatre education can make significant and lasting positive change in the lives of those we teach, though that research is lovely to hear.
I recently attained (December 2014) National Board certification myself, and what you have heard about the process is entirely true: it is an immensely challenging process that really forces you to analyze and reflect on a very deep level how you teach, why you teach, and what you're doing to make it better. It is immensely practical, and will take much of your time to go through, but ultimately, I believe I am a better teacher for going through it. I still have far longer on my own journey to travel before I can ever believe I am truly an effective or competent teacher as an individual, but that might also be because of my own high unyielding personal standards and my desire to be 100% perfect in everything I do. It's not a healthy place to be, but I am recovering and learning to be okay in what I can do right now.
The question comes up, fairly often and with some excitement, on the community discussions, about whether one should pursue National Board certification. I believe one should. The elephant in the room is that NBPTS does not offer a theatre specification. I am certified under the English Language Arts/Adolescence and Young Adulthood strand. Made perfect sense for me at the time; I was teaching 3 sections of English, 1 of Creative Writing, and two reading classes when I started the process, so wasn't particularly bothered that there was no specific strand for Theatre. At the time I do remember wondering why there wasn't one for Theatre but were certifications for Art and for Music, but still. Is it because Theatre is seen as a subset of English? Is it not 'respected' enough as an 'academic' class? Or is it that there are too few theatre teachers to make it an economically viable option for National Board to offer?
I applaud James Palmarini and the advocacy work being done to further the cause of board certification status for Theatre educators. It may still be some time before such a certification comes to pass. If you're intending to stick around for the long haul, it may well be worth considering aiming for the English Language Arts certification, and from there work within National Board certification to bring about change, to bring our influence to bear as we continue to advocate for the recognition of how complex, involved, and thoughtfully executed the job of the effective theatre educator is.
There is definitely hope on the horizon, however. I recently volunteered as a participant for the National Board field tests for the CTE certification area, and was encouraged to see that theatre teachers are included/can be included in how the questions are set up. The focus may be more vocational, but teaching theatre falls naturally into a vocational category. With some technical theatre experience, it might also be worth considering, instead of the English Language Arts certification, the CTE area certification instead.
Ideally, what I do hope to see (as I'm sure many of you do) is a combination certification, that honors theatre certification in both its vocational merits and its basis in history as one of our oldest traditions of literature and performance.
I continue to wait with hope that when I renew my certification in 10 years, I will be renewing in the category of Theatre Arts.