In December, Hailey Dougherty was waiting on edge for her results. The good news? She passed.
Dougherty, an English teacher at East High School, was among the newest West Bend School District teachers to earn National Board Certification. She joins 14 others in the district that all went through the arduous process at some point in their careers. Earning NBCT recognition is widely considered to be among the highest honors a teacher can receive.
Dougherty says the demanding procedure for becoming certified goes through four components, and uses rubrics so the content is scored more objectively with standards set by the board. The process is also determined by what subject the teacher specializes in, with different standards for each class.
A lot of the work consists of self-analyzing the way they teach, focusing on a few students and how they perform in class, sometimes having to go back and compare their academic history.
“In one of the components you have to take samples of student work in different time periods in the year,” said West social studies teacher Tanya Lohr. “And then you have to talk about what’s the objective? What’s the learning goals? And then how are you going to assess it? You have to keep assessing those same students throughout the year.”
A large segment is a portfolio where teachers make video recordings of the classroom.
“People think that when you tape yourself, you have to do it perfect and all of the different groups that I was part of always said no, it doesn’t have to be perfect,” Lohr said. “You just need to be able to watch it and reflect on it and make suggestions for improvement.”
Dougherty says that one of the most challenging parts was finding time in a busy teacher schedule.
“You take a lot of the stuff that teachers just do naturally and sometimes that takes a lot of time,” she said. “Teachers are busy so you have to find time to do it.”
Lohr said some days she would lock herself in her home office and just write the whole day.
“It’s a time commitment but I think that that’s part of what makes it a valid assessment,” she said. “This isn’t something that you can just fluff.”
It can take teachers between one to five years to finish the process, depending on how many segments an applicant submits each year. Success isn’t guaranteed. Nearly 30% of applicants do not receive certification. Those that complete the certification receive a pay bonus and the recognition will aid them in getting their teaching license in other states.
Jennifer Potter, the executive principal at West Bend High Schools, says being National Board Certified is a game changer at the high school. In the last three years, seven WBHS teachers have earned certification.
“This level of accomplished teaching in one building is something that truly shapes the experience of every student who walks through our doors,” Potter said.
But for those that are certified, the credibility means something more.
“My evaluation of my teaching said ‘you are in the top level in the nation, that what you do in your classroom each day is top level’ and that has meant the world to me,” Lohr said. “This nationally certified organization is saying these teachers are top-notch, and I just think that that’s something that our community needs to recognize.”
West Bend School District teachers with National Board Certification
Sarah Braatz
Kevin Doornek
Hailey Dougherty
Jennifer Feiter
Michelle Garcia
Allyson Guzan
Brett Hartman
Kathryn Hintz
Carol Johnson
Kristen Koenigs
Tanya Lohr
Gregory Mielke
Danielle Schumacher
Rebecca Sohm
Mitchell Ziesemer
Image: Hailey Dougherty, an English teacher at West Bend East High School, leads her Modern Literature class on Tuesday. Photo by Keaton Beltmann, Current Staff.
The West Bend Current 
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