The next time you find yourself with a free moment–as rare as they may be–take a walk to your nearest music class. What you’ll find inside might at first seem quite different from what you experience in your average core-content classroom. Students, of their own free will and volition, do the same thing over and over, and over again, just to be a little bit better the next time. Largely, this is not done out of the desire for a grade, or to achieve post-secondary readiness, or for anything that might occur in their lives after graduation. This is joy and passion and iteration in its purest form.
When we observed the high school orchestra class at J. Graham Brown School, not only did we appreciate and note those same three principles–joy, passion, iteration–we found them embodied in Ms. Tamika Carr, NBCT. As students arrived at Ms. Carr’s classroom, you could tell they were happy to be there. Many of them, now approaching or currently in their senior year, have had Ms. Carr since they were in the first grade. Joy is the only way to describe it. Many of the students entering the room have been doing so for a decade or longer. A decade of Ms. Carr being a consistent, caring, joyful presence. As Del Borgo’s “Arlington Sketches” reached its crescendo, the shared joy in Room 301 did also.
Anyone who continues a hobby or interest for years can attest that passion is certainly necessary. It is no different than teaching in this way. Tamika Carr has that passion–both for music and education. She exudes passion during warm-ups and tuning, ensuring that each student plays as well as they deserve. She harnesses that passion when correcting minor miscues and missed notes, or when addressing style, with clear instructions and well-timed jokes to get her point across. She harnesses that passion in others by challenging them to play in the manner of the professionals they listen to and attempt to emulate. Passion is what drove Tamika Carr to the class, and passion is what keeps her there.
Through joy and passion comes iteration. Ms. Carr spent plenty of time working with the orchestra as a whole; when she worked with individual sections, those left alone would look through their music, silently play through challenging measures, and use their pencils to mark areas of note on their sheet music. Their joy and their passion fuel their willingness to be iterative. Ms. Carr told us she did the same with her teaching practice. She attested that pursuing National Board Certification was also a process of iteration. You record yourself teaching and then watch it back, marking areas of note and challenges to overcome.
Becoming a National Board Certified Teacher is a similar process of joy- and passion-induced iteration. And it is a process that Ms. Carr says all teachers should experience. Embrace the iterative and reflective nature of teaching. Allow your passion to fuel your continued growth and improvement. Find joy in entering the classroom every day. In our interview below, you will find that Tamika Carr has done just that.
Why did you choose to become an NBCT?
I just graduated with my Master’s in 2010, and I had two other colleagues who were going to go through the process, but they said, “The paperwork is due in like two days!” I knew I didn’t want another Master’s, I didn’t want a PhD. So I read a bunch of information about it, it sounded wonderful, so I got to work and got it done just in time!
What was the journey like for you?
You know, the process is an amazing process. I think more teachers should do this. I was lucky to be able to do this with two other orchestra teachers. That was helpful for us in having support in the journey, and our cohort leader was an English teacher, which really helped with the writing part of the process. We figured that if our cohort leader could understand what we were trying to say, then we felt confident about our submission. Actually, about a week before I needed to submit my paperwork, I was putting the finishing touches on everything and spilled coffee on my MacBook and lost all my videos. I had to redo my videos and stayed up for about 24 hours straight, but I got it done and all three of us passed!
How has the NBCT process impacted your classroom?
There is no other thing you can do as a teacher that will impact your teaching more. The process makes you think about why you chose a material, how you use it, how it helps your students, and where it is going to take your students. It is the most reflective thing you can do as a teacher. You get to watch yourself and examine every single detail about what you do. I really felt like what I turned in and did was genuine and if you really do the process, it has a huge impact on your classroom. There is not a degree that I have earned that was as personal and reflective as this was.
Why would you recommend becoming an NBCT to another teacher?
If you’re serious about teaching, you’ve got to do this. This is one way that you can grow as a teacher and get paid more for it! Even still, a lot of those practices I still do and live by now. You can get a degree, but you’re not studying anything personal about your teaching. This is the thing you can do that is going to be personal to you and your teaching and your students and their growth.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I am so glad that I ran into my other two colleagues, who did this with me and learned about NBCT. They were really interested in it and I trusted their judgment. NBCT pushed me to do more than just “open your folder and play this piece of music,” and I really appreciate that, too.
JCPS offers professional support throughout the school year for NBCT candidates. If you or a colleague are interested in learning more about the National Board Certification process and any of the information mentioned in this article, please contact the Professional Development and Learning Office or review our website at jcps.me/pdl.professional.learning@jefferson.kyschools.us | 502-485-3415.