It had been in the back of my mind for a long time. I knew National Board Certification was valid for ten years. I knew it was eligible for renewal after eight years. I knew I would probably want to attempt the renewal process.

But then the notification arrived. I read it. I looked up the information about renewal on the National Board website. With 33 years of teaching behind me, was there enough time left in my career to be worth seeking renewal? After all, my teaching career would likely end before the renewal certificate.

I had heard enough about The Profile of Professional Growth to know that the National Board had developed it with the idea that it was renewal not recertification. It would be less work, less time than the original certification process, but what interested me most was the very personal nature of the Profile of Professional Growth.

The Profile looks at what a teacher has done since achieving National Board Certification to continue building professional growth. It is composed of four components. The first requires a renewal candidate to identify four Professional Growth Experiences (PGEs) that are “ongoing, varied, and multifaceted.” These are then explained and analyzed in three pages per PGE.

The second component asks candidates to videotape a classroom lesson which features one of the PGEs from Component 1. The written part of this component then asks for additional information about the activity and its impact on student learning.

The third component give candidates an option. They choose another PGE from Component 1 (but different from the one used in Component 2) and may either produce a video or use student work to illustrate how that PGE enhances student learning.

The final component is a reflective piece of writing which ties together the professional development activities experienced by the candidate since achieving the original National Board Certification. Candidates look for patterns in the PGEs and attempt to understand what areas of their professional growth have been most effecting and meaningful.

When I received my National Board Certification in 2002 in the area of Adolescent and Young Adult English Language Arts, I knew the process had been a meaningful experience. When I received the notification that I was up for renewal, I thought about the original process, about the teachers I have worked with as they pursued National Board Certification, about the people I have worked with on National Board committees. I knew I wanted to stay involved in all of that. The decision to renew wasn't that hard.

This week I mailed my Profile of Professional Growth to the National Board. Now I'll wait for the response next fall and hope I remain an NBCT for ten more years.