Teachers, by nature, find joy in watching a child learn and grow. For Erin Casimir, music teacher at Northside Elementary, seeing students evolve in their experience with music has been one of her most treasured parts of teaching. She says, “Watching kids grow musically from Kindergarten to 5th grade is my favorite. I love seeing the ones that maybe don’t show any interest [in music] when they’re in Kindergarten and 1st grade become the ones that want to go for the lead musical roles by 4th and 5th grade.” Mrs. Casimir explains how it is also so special for parents and families to watch their children develop a love for the performing arts, especially when it’s a child who previously did not show any desire to sing, dance, or play instruments.
Student growth in music class is evident in several ways. For example, Erin says, “I love watching students find their niche. Some of them like to sing; some of them don’t like singing, but when you give them a ukelele, they love it!” Erin enjoys the idea of students having many different areas of interest within the realm of music; she adds, “That’s fun, too, about music. There is such a wide range and variety of things they could be good at, and we see it all.”
Mrs. Casimir explains that while there are still national standards in music education, music teachers are allowed more freedom to decide “what we teach and how we teach it.” This level of flexibility requires those in music education to be extremely cognizant of their classroom instruction. Erin describes how the National Board Certification process reinforces strategies of self-reflection and analysis to bolster teaching.
For example, a teacher in the process of obtaining their National Board Certification must use prompts to analyze what they’re doing and how they could be doing it in a different way. They must also record themselves teaching and reflect on these videos. To put it simply, Erin says that the process makes you repeatedly answer the questions, “What did you do and why did you do it?” Erin found the emphasis on the why behind her teaching decisions and classroom instruction to be one of the most powerful takeaways from the process. After receiving her certification, Mrs. Casimir feels more aware of what is occurring each day in her classroom. She says, “I’m more aware of what I can change and do differently, what works and what doesn’t.”
Erin especially enjoyed reviewing the videos of herself teaching, which were part of the third component of the process: Teaching Practice and Learning Environment. She found it to be the most meaningful part of the process. She says, “It made you think about yourself as a teacher and what you’re doing daily in the classroom. It makes you consider how you’re questioning the students, how you’re interacting with the students, and what you’re expecting them to do.”
All in all, the National Board Certification process equipped Erin with wonderful tools to continue providing exceptional instruction for her students. As a district, we are so grateful that Mrs. Casimir decided to take the opportunity to earn her certification, and we know that our students benefit tremendously from her dedication, hard work, and self-reflection. Congratulations, Mrs. Casimir, on becoming a National Board Certified Teacher! We are so proud of you!
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