March 28, 2024 • 29 mins
Join Affton Unplugged in an interesting episode where Superintendent Travis Bracht interviews Dr. Brian Esselman, an accomplished high school teacher in the Affton School District. Unfold the inspiring journey of Dr. Esselman as he depicts his passion for teaching, recount his experiences in the district, and sheds light on his academic achievements. Listen as he explains how attaining a National Board Certification amplified his teaching skills and the process involved in acquiring it.
Get to learn about Dr. Esselman's Educational Leadership doctoral program centered on social justice, equity, and heritage leadership. He shares his in-depth insights into how this program synergizes with his national board certification pursuits, contributing positively to his professional journey.
Further, Dr. Esselman takes us on a insightful trip to Montgomery, Alabama, that profoundly influenced and sparked meaningful dialogues among professional communities. This episode also touches upon the unusual challenges and learning opportunities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, tune in to this engrossing episode of Affton Unplugged that underscores the worth of higher education in enhancing educators and brings you closer to the passionate professionals devoted to education.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Music.
(00:20):
Welcome to Afton Unplugged, a podcast by the Afton School District that highlights
the people and stories that make the district great.
I'm your host, Superintendent Travis Brock, and in the Afton School District,
education is the most important thing we do.
Music.
(00:45):
All right, welcome to this episode of the Afton Unplugged podcast.
And today we have a Afton High School teacher, Dr. Brian Esselman, joining me.
And specifically, the reason we chose Dr. Esselman, we want to learn a little
bit about national board certification.
He's a national board certified teacher and also, I think, recertified.
(01:05):
And he also has his doctorate degree. So we're going to hear a little bit about
his degree program and we'll learn.
Sounds like maybe now he has more time on his hands. I think those things sound
like they would take a lot of time. Is that right?
I think that's probably correct. Okay. So maybe we should also then figure out
what are you doing with all your time nowadays, but we'll get to that.
(01:28):
So Dr. Esselman, thanks for joining me for this episode.
All right. Before we kind of get into the nuts and bolts of these two topics,
I do want to learn a little bit or want our listeners to learn a bit about the people of the district.
So that's a goal of the program, the people and the stories.
So let's learn a little bit about Dr. Esselman. If you want to maybe tell us
what your current role is with the district, how long you've been doing that.
(01:52):
And then before coming to Afton, did you have any other jobs or experiences
that you think we might appreciate knowing about?
And then certainly, what are your interests outside of work?
You have a family. Let us know about those things, too.
So without further ado. That sounds great.
So I am a social studies teacher at Afton High School. I'm very happy to say
(02:15):
I'm in my 22nd year at the high school.
I love teaching there. I'm also a department leader and serve as a co-sponsor
for the National Honor Society.
Previous to my work in Afton, I served as a teaching assistant and a research
assistant at the university level.
And to be honest with you, any chance my wife and I get to get away and travel,
(02:37):
we love to check out the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. We're big Wright heads.
We really enjoy that. So I have a lot of great opportunities that I've been
able to seize upon. And so I'm very happy to be here today.
All right. Well, thanks, Brian. We're glad to have you. And I know a lot of
(02:58):
the topics we're going to talk about are very, you know, kind of of academic oriented.
And at the same time, a lot of times I think people wonder, you know,
do educators continue to go to school?
You know, we get our degree, we start teaching or we start somewhere,
but then it really is a process.
And you've certainly kind of taken that about as far as you can.
So we definitely want to spotlight those accomplishments as well.
(03:20):
Let's start with national board certification. What do you think our listeners,
what's kind of the elevator pitch maybe about national board certification that
they might find interesting?
Well, I think the really important thing about the national board is that it
is an attempt to provide kind of a professional structure for the teaching profession as a whole.
(03:42):
And it really tries to incentivize teachers to think deeply about their craft
and to consider their role in a larger professional community,
particularly a community of educators, but not exclusively.
So we are at service to the public and the National Board is just a wonderful
program to get teachers to think more about the impact that they can have in serving the public.
(04:08):
Right. You know, the first time I heard about national board certification,
I think I was in my fourth year of teaching.
I went to a board meeting because our track team was being honored.
But then they had a teacher there that they were honoring because they had achieved
national board certification. So early on, I kind of got a glimpse into what
it took to earn national board certification.
(04:29):
Some of the words you use is also how they described it. Really good professional development.
One of the most impactful things they said that had happened to them at that
point in their career. So I was fortunate, didn't even know I would be learning about it.
And I was at a board meeting and happened to hear it firsthand from someone.
I was almost two decades ago, but sounds like they're still,
(04:51):
you know, keeping some of those same goals and objectives in place.
Absolutely. Tell us a little bit more about the details of the process you went
through. So you don't just take a test to get certified.
Is that correct? It really is a process. So tell us about those details. It really is a process.
For many teachers, it's a process that lasts over the course of several years.
(05:12):
And teachers are expected to not only think about their teaching,
but also to document that teaching pretty exhaustively.
And that involves not just the written word, but also filming lessons and compiling information.
And yes, as you mentioned, taking a test. Yes. All those are components that go into it.
(05:33):
So for me, it was a process that stretched out over a couple of years initially.
And then just recently in the last year, another year of kind of intensive work to recertify.
And so how long is the initial certification good for and what's the process like?
What is their, I guess you'd say, mechanism set up so that certainly getting
(05:57):
that initial approval is a great reward?
And a lot of people, I'm sure, are very excited about that. And then what does
it look like beyond that to sort of keep that status, if you will?
Yeah, well, I think at the core of the experience is really,
you know, you're asked to think deeply about five kind of core components,
which is you think about who your students are and where they're coming from.
(06:20):
John, you think about your role as an educator and how well you know your subject
matter, how you see education existing as a system.
You think about progress monitoring for your students. And of course,
you think about your role in a larger educational community.
So those are kind of the four or the five components, I should say,
(06:40):
of what is considered teaching.
So everything that you do in terms of planning has to do with attacking those
various components. And so it's really good to get some coaching,
which I was lucky to receive.
The district was very supportive of that. And coaching is really helpful because
it allows you to attack these components one by one and kind of put it together.
(07:03):
And overall, what it does is it just gets you to think so much more systematically
about what you do each and every day and the impact that it has.
You mentioned the idea of quality professional development. That really nails it right there.
Most who have had the experience, and certainly I would agree,
say that it's probably some of the best professional development a teacher can have. Great.
(07:24):
And then what was, what would you say was maybe a challenging aspect?
And how did you, how did you meet that challenge? So for me,
I think the challenge was really thinking about all those various components
and recognizing that while some of those components were very strong in my classroom to begin with,
(07:45):
some really needed some thought and some attention.
And so I had to consider, you know, what does it mean to kind of articulate
what we do as professionals to a larger audience, to a national audience?
And that meant that I had to overcome certain challenges like filming in class.
I had to overcome the idea of seeking my students' permission to participate
(08:11):
in this process because everything is done in a very systematic way.
It requires a lot of thought and reflection. And so you really have to stick to a schedule.
And that was probably the thing that was most challenging about it all was making
sure that I was doing things that were kind of getting me to progress and feel
(08:35):
like I was making progress while also overcoming some of those fears.
So I mentioned the filming of the lessons. Nothing can sometimes set you straight
like seeing yourself on film. I think this is audio. That's right.
That's what I tell people is I'm much more comfortable with audio.
I have I have a face for audio and it does seem to immediately put people's
(08:56):
guard down when when they know that they're just going to be talking and trying
to capture their thoughts.
But yeah, once the light goes on and you actually start the video,
that can be a little intimidating.
But I think that's a good insight, though, as people are trying to understand,
you know, the context under which this is really a big deal. It's a big undertaking.
(09:18):
So you don't just tell people.
What you did, you have to show them. You have to document, if you will,
this is how I taught the lesson. You're getting to see the kid's reaction.
You're getting to see what worked. I'm assuming you also had to talk about what
maybe didn't work. And that's part of the process.
And that's a huge part of the process. And if you're someone like myself,
(09:40):
you know, I try to be as realistic about the job of teaching as I can.
I think that's what people really need to hear. It's great work.
It's absolutely wonderful work, but it's challenging work.
And anytime you take a reflective attitude, and this is really what this program
does, it promotes a very reflective attitude.
(10:02):
You uncover things that are both validation of what you do, but also some things
that really make you think more deeply and make adjustments.
And that can be unsettling because you really are saying, you know,
what is the effect that I am having in the classroom?
And that is something that we are all thinking about deeply all the time.
(10:26):
But when you have to put things on paper and you have to submit it,
it kind of changes that even more so. Yeah.
And so I think that that's one of my big takeaways is just the time that you
have to invest in the reflection.
You know what, that that's one of the most kind of precious commodities we have is just time.
And so you have to make time to just do that reflection, even though that can
(10:49):
happen outside of national board certification.
It's critical and it's required to make sure that you can you can demonstrate that. that.
Anything else as we kind of wrap up national board certification,
maybe transition into your doctorate program, anything else on national board certification?
Well, I would just encourage every teacher who might be listening out there
(11:09):
to really think seriously about the program and getting involved with the program.
You know, I am sure that it sounds like we're painting a picture here that,
you know, requires a lot of work and a lot of time and a lot of focus.
And that's true. But it is so rewarding to really do a deep dive into what you care so much about.
(11:32):
So for me, you know, I was kind of the classic mid-career professional teacher.
And this was so invigorating to really think about what I had accomplished.
And more importantly, what I could do in terms of the future as far as serving students.
So I really hope that others that might be listening out there would consider it.
(11:54):
And I must say that I truly appreciate the district being so supportive with
some of the resources to make it happen. That's extremely generous.
And I think that there's a lot of good reasons to undertake this.
Yeah. And you hit the nail on the head. Well said.
Also, one of the reasons why we wanted to spotlight this on a podcast is just
(12:15):
getting that awareness out there, not only for parents,
but also other teachers that might be listening and know that it is a shared
goal of ours to support this if teachers have that ambition.
So thanks for bringing that up. Now, let's turn to your doctorate program.
Tell us just a little bit about the program you chose to participate in.
(12:36):
What was the focus of what you studied? Where did you do this work at?
Tell us a little bit about those details. So I'm happy to talk about that work
because it dovetails so nicely with the National Board certification.
So as I mentioned previously, one of the five core propositions of the National
Board is to involve yourself in a larger educational community.
(12:59):
And so I was really happy to do that through the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
And I was part of a EDD program, Educational Leadership Program,
a doctoral program that had a focus on the ideas of social justice and equity
and heritage leadership.
And it was a really wonderful community that came together for about three years of time.
(13:25):
And we were able to learn from one another and to do some original research in research groups.
And I had a wonderful team and we produced some really good research that had
to do with looking at, you know, what was going on between teachers and students,
teacher-student relationships in a middle school environment,
(13:45):
and how knowing more about your students.
Another core proposition of the National Board, knowing more about your students
allows for even more effective instruction in the classroom.
Okay. And I know you mentioned the doctorate program.
Three years to complete and then talk a little bit about was that literally
going on concurrently with working on national board certification?
(14:09):
You mentioned they dovetailed, but talk to us about just what was the true overlap
of your time and attention?
Well, I got very lucky in the sense that I attacked all of the components of
the national board within about a year timeframe.
And then I crossed my fingers and submitted my materials and waited about six
(14:29):
months to see whether that had been successful.
In that time, during that six-month period, I got involved with the doctoral program.
And the hope was that I wouldn't have to revisit too much of the initial board certification.
And I'm happy to say that when the results came down in December,
which would have been after my first semester of the doctoral program,
(14:50):
it was a real cause for celebration because I knew that I would be able to devote
all of my time and energy as far as outside activities to the doctoral program
rather than the national board, at least until recertification,
which conveniently I did once the doctorate was wrapped up.
So as much as I would say, I think that was probably somewhat intentional on
(15:13):
your part. You didn't leave those things to chance.
Well, the national board is really good. It's really flexible.
When I was going through, you could take up to two years to submit your materials,
but you could also do it within the one-year time frame.
And I now understand that it might even be three years.
So they really want to assist you and help you.
But it was very good timing for me to have it done in the one,
(15:37):
because it allowed me to kind of focus my energy.
But like I said, there was so much overlap and so much connectedness between
the two programs that I really felt like the one was the doctoral program was
really putting into action so much of what I had reflected on by way of the
national board experience. Yeah.
(15:58):
It's always nice when a plan comes together, right? You can't always,
you can't always predict that that's how it's going to work out,
but it sounds like you did.
It was some intentionality on your part. Yeah.
There was a real possibility of a jinx there, but the hope was that the plan
would kind of succeed and it did.
And I, again, I have to say it's because I didn't do it alone.
(16:19):
I had the support of the district, but I also had the support of my research
group and cohort when I was doing the doctoral program.
And I think that's really important to emphasize. I think with effective coaching
and with good collegiality from peers and others and with enthusiastic students,
we really should mention the students here because they are tremendous cheerleaders
(16:41):
for teachers taking this on.
And they get a real thrill out of it too when you achieve accomplishments because
they know that it's connected.
To what's happening in that classroom space. I guess just circling back to national
board, you mentioned you had to get consent.
So the students know, kind of knew what was happening, right?
Absolutely. You know, so hopefully they also wanted to see your success,
(17:03):
you know, as well as they want to see their own success.
To your point, it's nice when you let them in on what's happening, what's going on.
It really helps too, when you can tell the students that teachers have to take tests too.
Yeah. You know, because I remind them of that. I've been involved with a couple
of programs that have had some testing involved.
And I always share that with my students because I want them to know that they're
(17:25):
not the only ones that are expected to stretch and challenge themselves.
You know, we go with this idea of lifelong learner. And, you know,
I think most of us really try to embody that.
And so that's what's great about working around the people that I do and connecting
with groups that are outside of the school environment as Yeah.
And you mentioned that both of these opportunities were somewhat of a collaborative
(17:50):
process, that you had some support, you've got other people that are maybe either
also pursuing national board or they've already been through it and you can tap into them.
Talk a little bit about how your dynamic worked with your doctorate project.
You mentioned there were other folks that were involved with your project.
How did you guys work together?
And then ultimately, what did you have to produce? So at the end of the line
(18:14):
was a dissertation, and that dissertation was jointly written by myself and
three other researchers that were part of my program.
And they were just absolutely wonderful to work with.
What we did was we conducted original research where we tried to understand
what might be the connection between local history and culture and what's going
(18:40):
on in the classroom space when it comes to the relationships that teachers have with students.
So we were working in a charter school environment, North St.
Louis, and it was a wonderful school filled with very caring educators and wonderful
students. And having educators gain a greater perspective on the history of St.
(19:01):
Louis and the history of some of the local neighborhoods was extremely helpful
for demonstrating that there was a positive instructional benefit that could
occur in terms of connecting teachers with students.
And so ultimately, that became a dissertation that we put together,
(19:21):
we wrote together, we defended.
And it was a major project of ours that spanned over the course of two years of that program.
So by the time we were in our second year, we were into our research groups
and we were pursuing our research.
And it was a formidable task. But we had the support of one another.
(19:45):
So we had a retired teacher, we had a current teacher, we had a current administrator.
And then we had myself, who is also a practicing teacher.
And so it was a great community within a larger community.
Our cohort for the program overall was about 30 strong.
And so we had a group of four, and it was work that we're all very proud of. Yeah, sounds like it.
(20:09):
And yeah, it sounds like you had a lot of different perspectives there with
where people currently were in their educational journey or career journey. journey? Absolutely.
And the one commitment was, you know, students. Everyone in the program was
committed to young people and their success.
But as you know, as well as I do, that looks differently for every student and
(20:32):
for every family and for every community.
And recognizing that was a key part of our research to really highlight that.
And fortunately, we were able able to come away with results that showed that
the more you know, the more you know about the background of your students,
the more effective you can be in your instruction.
And that's a critical thing.
(20:54):
And I can only imagine that there were several challenging aspects of getting
your doctorate complete, which is why a lot of people.
Are almost there. Sometimes they don't get across the finish line.
So there's a lot of challenges that come up.
Anything stick out that you'd like to share with our listeners is what was challenging
and how did you overcome that to get to that finish line?
(21:15):
Well, there was something that occurred in the midst of this program that made it extremely unique.
And of course, I don't mean to make light of it, but the pandemic played out smack dab in the middle.
And so we had to engage We had to engage with some of our research virtually.
We had to make arrangements that, you know, had a real consciousness of,
(21:37):
you know, health and safety.
That included, you know, site visits and things like that that were part of that research effort.
That was the biggest challenge of them all. However, you saw amazing things
from people in the midst of that crisis.
We all have our own experiences of what that was like, but it was simply amazing
(22:02):
to study how educators were giving
their all during that time and really working to help their students.
And the fact that we were there to document some of that was just a real reward,
despite the very unpleasant circumstances that sometimes came around that.
So, you know, into that went the normal mix of time management,
(22:25):
of making sure that you are getting the resources that you need to complete
the task, you know, getting willingness of people to participate.
That is always a challenging thing.
But I would say the pandemic, that wins out as the greatest.
I was going to say, it's hard to trump that.
Anybody that, you know, kind of was immersed with anything during that time
(22:49):
period, that's probably a universal answer if you ask them about a challenge.
Yes, I think that's probably true. Yep.
All right. Well, as we kind of wrap up here, I know you've given us a lot of
good insight into some specific examples of connected to national board certification and your doctorate.
Is there a favorite story or memory that you haven't mentioned that you might want to share?
(23:11):
I do have a story that I'd love to share, and it has to do with right before
the pandemic kind of was declared,
the research cohort, and I should be more specific there, the entire doctoral
program cohort made a very amazing journey to Montgomery, Alabama,
(23:33):
where we went to the Civil Rights Museum and Memorial,
which I had not been to before.
I had heard about it, and it's a relatively new, or at least it was in January of 2020.
We went there, and we were able to have some of the best experiences with one
another, talking about very difficult topics,
(23:55):
wrestling with some very difficult history, but also seeing how we could provide
leadership that can really...
Create a greater impact on the community. I think that's a real thing that comes
through in all of these programs is that you get a sense of community.
You get a sense that people really do care and they do want to make a difference
(24:17):
and they do want to see change in the areas that desperately need it.
And that was just a wonderful trip.
It was a trip that was kind of announced to us as something we were going to do. Going to do, yeah.
And it did happen in the context of the school year.
So it wasn't always the easiest to schedule, but it was definitely very impactful
(24:38):
and just a wonderful set of memories with all those great people that I had
the privilege to study with.
All right. Well, thanks for sharing that with us. I guess, does that fall in
the category of you were voluntold?
Voluntold. I think, yes, I experienced a lot of voluntold in my life,
but I try to embrace it with enthusiasm and good cheer. Sure. Exactly.
(24:59):
So in this case, it sounds like it made a lasting memory. Absolutely.
It certainly did. All right. Well, again, we've covered a lot of territory during this episode.
As we wrap up, anything else come to mind that you might want to share before we sign off?
Well, I would just simply say at the end here, I think it's just so incredibly
important for teachers and educators to see themselves as professionals.
(25:24):
You know, professionals who deserve to be kind of honored, but professionals
who also need to be challenged.
That's part of the professional idea is to always be thinking about how you can do better.
And we do that in so many small areas of our lives, and we do that day by day,
(25:47):
doing some of the most important work with our students.
But I would encourage anyone to connect with some of these larger programs and
some of these larger initiatives, because they get you to see that not only are you not alone,
but you are part of an amazing group of people that exist out there, just just.
(26:10):
Folks who really care about what is happening with young people in their lives
and really do want to make that difference.
And to, you know, distinguish yourself in a way that brings you a little bit
more of a professional status, I think is a good thing.
And I think it's something that all teachers should consider,
especially when they're looking to kind of renew themselves and put a little
(26:34):
extra charge into the very valuable work that they do each and every day.
Teachers work extremely hard, as we all know, and they should be,
you know, connected to things that that really validate that,
but also cause them to reflect and challenge their practice.
All right. Well, that was well said. And I know it's been an honor to spotlight
(26:58):
you personally on this episode.
Thank you. But then also touch on the topics as well, just to make sure people
know that these are things that many educators do.
It's always nice when you have one in your district that you can talk to and
you're getting that experience firsthand.
And so in addition to honoring you, we also wanted to draw attention to these
(27:20):
topics so that, again, people have maybe a deeper appreciation for what teachers
do, the professionalism, ways they demonstrate that.
And you've done a great job of that in this episode. Well, thank you very much, Dr.
Breck. I'll just say, you know, as the last thing here that,
you know, I wouldn't be able to accomplish much of anything if I was not surrounded
(27:41):
by such caring educators and other wonderful adults who work so hard with young people.
They really are the ones that, you know, kind of provide the support to have
you take it just a little bit further and go the extra mile.
And that's all I would encourage everyone to consider is how you can do that
in a way that is really beneficial to students.
(28:05):
That's our intention every day. And it's great to be plugged into things that
make you feel like that's happening even more than perhaps it has in the past. All right.
Again, well said. And I think that's a great way to end the episode.
So again, Dr. Esselman, thanks for joining me. Thank you. Very much appreciated.
Music.
(28:36):
Thanks for listening to Afton Unplugged, a podcast by the Afton School District
that highlights the people and stories that make the district great.
In the Afton School District, education is the most important thing we do. We'll see you out there.
Music.
Music.
(00:20):
Welcome to Afton Unplugged, a podcast by the Afton School District that highlights
the people and stories that make the district great.
I'm your host, Superintendent Travis Brock, and in the Afton School District,
education is the most important thing we do.
Music.
(00:45):
All right, welcome to this episode of the Afton Unplugged podcast.
And today we have a Afton High School teacher, Dr. Brian Esselman, joining me.
And specifically, the reason we chose Dr. Esselman, we want to learn a little
bit about national board certification.
He's a national board certified teacher and also, I think, recertified.
(01:05):
And he also has his doctorate degree. So we're going to hear a little bit about
his degree program and we'll learn.
Sounds like maybe now he has more time on his hands. I think those things sound
like they would take a lot of time. Is that right?
I think that's probably correct. Okay. So maybe we should also then figure out
what are you doing with all your time nowadays, but we'll get to that.
(01:28):
So Dr. Esselman, thanks for joining me for this episode.
All right. Before we kind of get into the nuts and bolts of these two topics,
I do want to learn a little bit or want our listeners to learn a bit about the people of the district.
So that's a goal of the program, the people and the stories.
So let's learn a little bit about Dr. Esselman. If you want to maybe tell us
what your current role is with the district, how long you've been doing that.
(01:52):
And then before coming to Afton, did you have any other jobs or experiences
that you think we might appreciate knowing about?
And then certainly, what are your interests outside of work?
You have a family. Let us know about those things, too.
So without further ado. That sounds great.
So I am a social studies teacher at Afton High School. I'm very happy to say
(02:15):
I'm in my 22nd year at the high school.
I love teaching there. I'm also a department leader and serve as a co-sponsor
for the National Honor Society.
Previous to my work in Afton, I served as a teaching assistant and a research
assistant at the university level.
And to be honest with you, any chance my wife and I get to get away and travel,
(02:37):
we love to check out the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. We're big Wright heads.
We really enjoy that. So I have a lot of great opportunities that I've been
able to seize upon. And so I'm very happy to be here today.
All right. Well, thanks, Brian. We're glad to have you. And I know a lot of
(02:58):
the topics we're going to talk about are very, you know, kind of of academic oriented.
And at the same time, a lot of times I think people wonder, you know,
do educators continue to go to school?
You know, we get our degree, we start teaching or we start somewhere,
but then it really is a process.
And you've certainly kind of taken that about as far as you can.
So we definitely want to spotlight those accomplishments as well.
(03:20):
Let's start with national board certification. What do you think our listeners,
what's kind of the elevator pitch maybe about national board certification that
they might find interesting?
Well, I think the really important thing about the national board is that it
is an attempt to provide kind of a professional structure for the teaching profession as a whole.
(03:42):
And it really tries to incentivize teachers to think deeply about their craft
and to consider their role in a larger professional community,
particularly a community of educators, but not exclusively.
So we are at service to the public and the National Board is just a wonderful
program to get teachers to think more about the impact that they can have in serving the public.
(04:08):
Right. You know, the first time I heard about national board certification,
I think I was in my fourth year of teaching.
I went to a board meeting because our track team was being honored.
But then they had a teacher there that they were honoring because they had achieved
national board certification. So early on, I kind of got a glimpse into what
it took to earn national board certification.
(04:29):
Some of the words you use is also how they described it. Really good professional development.
One of the most impactful things they said that had happened to them at that
point in their career. So I was fortunate, didn't even know I would be learning about it.
And I was at a board meeting and happened to hear it firsthand from someone.
I was almost two decades ago, but sounds like they're still,
(04:51):
you know, keeping some of those same goals and objectives in place.
Absolutely. Tell us a little bit more about the details of the process you went
through. So you don't just take a test to get certified.
Is that correct? It really is a process. So tell us about those details. It really is a process.
For many teachers, it's a process that lasts over the course of several years.
(05:12):
And teachers are expected to not only think about their teaching,
but also to document that teaching pretty exhaustively.
And that involves not just the written word, but also filming lessons and compiling information.
And yes, as you mentioned, taking a test. Yes. All those are components that go into it.
(05:33):
So for me, it was a process that stretched out over a couple of years initially.
And then just recently in the last year, another year of kind of intensive work to recertify.
And so how long is the initial certification good for and what's the process like?
What is their, I guess you'd say, mechanism set up so that certainly getting
(05:57):
that initial approval is a great reward?
And a lot of people, I'm sure, are very excited about that. And then what does
it look like beyond that to sort of keep that status, if you will?
Yeah, well, I think at the core of the experience is really,
you know, you're asked to think deeply about five kind of core components,
which is you think about who your students are and where they're coming from.
(06:20):
John, you think about your role as an educator and how well you know your subject
matter, how you see education existing as a system.
You think about progress monitoring for your students. And of course,
you think about your role in a larger educational community.
So those are kind of the four or the five components, I should say,
(06:40):
of what is considered teaching.
So everything that you do in terms of planning has to do with attacking those
various components. And so it's really good to get some coaching,
which I was lucky to receive.
The district was very supportive of that. And coaching is really helpful because
it allows you to attack these components one by one and kind of put it together.
(07:03):
And overall, what it does is it just gets you to think so much more systematically
about what you do each and every day and the impact that it has.
You mentioned the idea of quality professional development. That really nails it right there.
Most who have had the experience, and certainly I would agree,
say that it's probably some of the best professional development a teacher can have. Great.
(07:24):
And then what was, what would you say was maybe a challenging aspect?
And how did you, how did you meet that challenge? So for me,
I think the challenge was really thinking about all those various components
and recognizing that while some of those components were very strong in my classroom to begin with,
(07:45):
some really needed some thought and some attention.
And so I had to consider, you know, what does it mean to kind of articulate
what we do as professionals to a larger audience, to a national audience?
And that meant that I had to overcome certain challenges like filming in class.
I had to overcome the idea of seeking my students' permission to participate
(08:11):
in this process because everything is done in a very systematic way.
It requires a lot of thought and reflection. And so you really have to stick to a schedule.
And that was probably the thing that was most challenging about it all was making
sure that I was doing things that were kind of getting me to progress and feel
(08:35):
like I was making progress while also overcoming some of those fears.
So I mentioned the filming of the lessons. Nothing can sometimes set you straight
like seeing yourself on film. I think this is audio. That's right.
That's what I tell people is I'm much more comfortable with audio.
I have I have a face for audio and it does seem to immediately put people's
(08:56):
guard down when when they know that they're just going to be talking and trying
to capture their thoughts.
But yeah, once the light goes on and you actually start the video,
that can be a little intimidating.
But I think that's a good insight, though, as people are trying to understand,
you know, the context under which this is really a big deal. It's a big undertaking.
(09:18):
So you don't just tell people.
What you did, you have to show them. You have to document, if you will,
this is how I taught the lesson. You're getting to see the kid's reaction.
You're getting to see what worked. I'm assuming you also had to talk about what
maybe didn't work. And that's part of the process.
And that's a huge part of the process. And if you're someone like myself,
(09:40):
you know, I try to be as realistic about the job of teaching as I can.
I think that's what people really need to hear. It's great work.
It's absolutely wonderful work, but it's challenging work.
And anytime you take a reflective attitude, and this is really what this program
does, it promotes a very reflective attitude.
(10:02):
You uncover things that are both validation of what you do, but also some things
that really make you think more deeply and make adjustments.
And that can be unsettling because you really are saying, you know,
what is the effect that I am having in the classroom?
And that is something that we are all thinking about deeply all the time.
(10:26):
But when you have to put things on paper and you have to submit it,
it kind of changes that even more so. Yeah.
And so I think that that's one of my big takeaways is just the time that you
have to invest in the reflection.
You know what, that that's one of the most kind of precious commodities we have is just time.
And so you have to make time to just do that reflection, even though that can
(10:49):
happen outside of national board certification.
It's critical and it's required to make sure that you can you can demonstrate that. that.
Anything else as we kind of wrap up national board certification,
maybe transition into your doctorate program, anything else on national board certification?
Well, I would just encourage every teacher who might be listening out there
(11:09):
to really think seriously about the program and getting involved with the program.
You know, I am sure that it sounds like we're painting a picture here that,
you know, requires a lot of work and a lot of time and a lot of focus.
And that's true. But it is so rewarding to really do a deep dive into what you care so much about.
(11:32):
So for me, you know, I was kind of the classic mid-career professional teacher.
And this was so invigorating to really think about what I had accomplished.
And more importantly, what I could do in terms of the future as far as serving students.
So I really hope that others that might be listening out there would consider it.
(11:54):
And I must say that I truly appreciate the district being so supportive with
some of the resources to make it happen. That's extremely generous.
And I think that there's a lot of good reasons to undertake this.
Yeah. And you hit the nail on the head. Well said.
Also, one of the reasons why we wanted to spotlight this on a podcast is just
(12:15):
getting that awareness out there, not only for parents,
but also other teachers that might be listening and know that it is a shared
goal of ours to support this if teachers have that ambition.
So thanks for bringing that up. Now, let's turn to your doctorate program.
Tell us just a little bit about the program you chose to participate in.
(12:36):
What was the focus of what you studied? Where did you do this work at?
Tell us a little bit about those details. So I'm happy to talk about that work
because it dovetails so nicely with the National Board certification.
So as I mentioned previously, one of the five core propositions of the National
Board is to involve yourself in a larger educational community.
(12:59):
And so I was really happy to do that through the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
And I was part of a EDD program, Educational Leadership Program,
a doctoral program that had a focus on the ideas of social justice and equity
and heritage leadership.
And it was a really wonderful community that came together for about three years of time.
(13:25):
And we were able to learn from one another and to do some original research in research groups.
And I had a wonderful team and we produced some really good research that had
to do with looking at, you know, what was going on between teachers and students,
teacher-student relationships in a middle school environment,
(13:45):
and how knowing more about your students.
Another core proposition of the National Board, knowing more about your students
allows for even more effective instruction in the classroom.
Okay. And I know you mentioned the doctorate program.
Three years to complete and then talk a little bit about was that literally
going on concurrently with working on national board certification?
(14:09):
You mentioned they dovetailed, but talk to us about just what was the true overlap
of your time and attention?
Well, I got very lucky in the sense that I attacked all of the components of
the national board within about a year timeframe.
And then I crossed my fingers and submitted my materials and waited about six
(14:29):
months to see whether that had been successful.
In that time, during that six-month period, I got involved with the doctoral program.
And the hope was that I wouldn't have to revisit too much of the initial board certification.
And I'm happy to say that when the results came down in December,
which would have been after my first semester of the doctoral program,
(14:50):
it was a real cause for celebration because I knew that I would be able to devote
all of my time and energy as far as outside activities to the doctoral program
rather than the national board, at least until recertification,
which conveniently I did once the doctorate was wrapped up.
So as much as I would say, I think that was probably somewhat intentional on
(15:13):
your part. You didn't leave those things to chance.
Well, the national board is really good. It's really flexible.
When I was going through, you could take up to two years to submit your materials,
but you could also do it within the one-year time frame.
And I now understand that it might even be three years.
So they really want to assist you and help you.
But it was very good timing for me to have it done in the one,
(15:37):
because it allowed me to kind of focus my energy.
But like I said, there was so much overlap and so much connectedness between
the two programs that I really felt like the one was the doctoral program was
really putting into action so much of what I had reflected on by way of the
national board experience. Yeah.
(15:58):
It's always nice when a plan comes together, right? You can't always,
you can't always predict that that's how it's going to work out,
but it sounds like you did.
It was some intentionality on your part. Yeah.
There was a real possibility of a jinx there, but the hope was that the plan
would kind of succeed and it did.
And I, again, I have to say it's because I didn't do it alone.
(16:19):
I had the support of the district, but I also had the support of my research
group and cohort when I was doing the doctoral program.
And I think that's really important to emphasize. I think with effective coaching
and with good collegiality from peers and others and with enthusiastic students,
we really should mention the students here because they are tremendous cheerleaders
(16:41):
for teachers taking this on.
And they get a real thrill out of it too when you achieve accomplishments because
they know that it's connected.
To what's happening in that classroom space. I guess just circling back to national
board, you mentioned you had to get consent.
So the students know, kind of knew what was happening, right?
Absolutely. You know, so hopefully they also wanted to see your success,
(17:03):
you know, as well as they want to see their own success.
To your point, it's nice when you let them in on what's happening, what's going on.
It really helps too, when you can tell the students that teachers have to take tests too.
Yeah. You know, because I remind them of that. I've been involved with a couple
of programs that have had some testing involved.
And I always share that with my students because I want them to know that they're
(17:25):
not the only ones that are expected to stretch and challenge themselves.
You know, we go with this idea of lifelong learner. And, you know,
I think most of us really try to embody that.
And so that's what's great about working around the people that I do and connecting
with groups that are outside of the school environment as Yeah.
And you mentioned that both of these opportunities were somewhat of a collaborative
(17:50):
process, that you had some support, you've got other people that are maybe either
also pursuing national board or they've already been through it and you can tap into them.
Talk a little bit about how your dynamic worked with your doctorate project.
You mentioned there were other folks that were involved with your project.
How did you guys work together?
And then ultimately, what did you have to produce? So at the end of the line
(18:14):
was a dissertation, and that dissertation was jointly written by myself and
three other researchers that were part of my program.
And they were just absolutely wonderful to work with.
What we did was we conducted original research where we tried to understand
what might be the connection between local history and culture and what's going
(18:40):
on in the classroom space when it comes to the relationships that teachers have with students.
So we were working in a charter school environment, North St.
Louis, and it was a wonderful school filled with very caring educators and wonderful
students. And having educators gain a greater perspective on the history of St.
(19:01):
Louis and the history of some of the local neighborhoods was extremely helpful
for demonstrating that there was a positive instructional benefit that could
occur in terms of connecting teachers with students.
And so ultimately, that became a dissertation that we put together,
(19:21):
we wrote together, we defended.
And it was a major project of ours that spanned over the course of two years of that program.
So by the time we were in our second year, we were into our research groups
and we were pursuing our research.
And it was a formidable task. But we had the support of one another.
(19:45):
So we had a retired teacher, we had a current teacher, we had a current administrator.
And then we had myself, who is also a practicing teacher.
And so it was a great community within a larger community.
Our cohort for the program overall was about 30 strong.
And so we had a group of four, and it was work that we're all very proud of. Yeah, sounds like it.
(20:09):
And yeah, it sounds like you had a lot of different perspectives there with
where people currently were in their educational journey or career journey. journey? Absolutely.
And the one commitment was, you know, students. Everyone in the program was
committed to young people and their success.
But as you know, as well as I do, that looks differently for every student and
(20:32):
for every family and for every community.
And recognizing that was a key part of our research to really highlight that.
And fortunately, we were able able to come away with results that showed that
the more you know, the more you know about the background of your students,
the more effective you can be in your instruction.
And that's a critical thing.
(20:54):
And I can only imagine that there were several challenging aspects of getting
your doctorate complete, which is why a lot of people.
Are almost there. Sometimes they don't get across the finish line.
So there's a lot of challenges that come up.
Anything stick out that you'd like to share with our listeners is what was challenging
and how did you overcome that to get to that finish line?
(21:15):
Well, there was something that occurred in the midst of this program that made it extremely unique.
And of course, I don't mean to make light of it, but the pandemic played out smack dab in the middle.
And so we had to engage We had to engage with some of our research virtually.
We had to make arrangements that, you know, had a real consciousness of,
(21:37):
you know, health and safety.
That included, you know, site visits and things like that that were part of that research effort.
That was the biggest challenge of them all. However, you saw amazing things
from people in the midst of that crisis.
We all have our own experiences of what that was like, but it was simply amazing
(22:02):
to study how educators were giving
their all during that time and really working to help their students.
And the fact that we were there to document some of that was just a real reward,
despite the very unpleasant circumstances that sometimes came around that.
So, you know, into that went the normal mix of time management,
(22:25):
of making sure that you are getting the resources that you need to complete
the task, you know, getting willingness of people to participate.
That is always a challenging thing.
But I would say the pandemic, that wins out as the greatest.
I was going to say, it's hard to trump that.
Anybody that, you know, kind of was immersed with anything during that time
(22:49):
period, that's probably a universal answer if you ask them about a challenge.
Yes, I think that's probably true. Yep.
All right. Well, as we kind of wrap up here, I know you've given us a lot of
good insight into some specific examples of connected to national board certification and your doctorate.
Is there a favorite story or memory that you haven't mentioned that you might want to share?
(23:11):
I do have a story that I'd love to share, and it has to do with right before
the pandemic kind of was declared,
the research cohort, and I should be more specific there, the entire doctoral
program cohort made a very amazing journey to Montgomery, Alabama,
(23:33):
where we went to the Civil Rights Museum and Memorial,
which I had not been to before.
I had heard about it, and it's a relatively new, or at least it was in January of 2020.
We went there, and we were able to have some of the best experiences with one
another, talking about very difficult topics,
(23:55):
wrestling with some very difficult history, but also seeing how we could provide
leadership that can really...
Create a greater impact on the community. I think that's a real thing that comes
through in all of these programs is that you get a sense of community.
You get a sense that people really do care and they do want to make a difference
(24:17):
and they do want to see change in the areas that desperately need it.
And that was just a wonderful trip.
It was a trip that was kind of announced to us as something we were going to do. Going to do, yeah.
And it did happen in the context of the school year.
So it wasn't always the easiest to schedule, but it was definitely very impactful
(24:38):
and just a wonderful set of memories with all those great people that I had
the privilege to study with.
All right. Well, thanks for sharing that with us. I guess, does that fall in
the category of you were voluntold?
Voluntold. I think, yes, I experienced a lot of voluntold in my life,
but I try to embrace it with enthusiasm and good cheer. Sure. Exactly.
(24:59):
So in this case, it sounds like it made a lasting memory. Absolutely.
It certainly did. All right. Well, again, we've covered a lot of territory during this episode.
As we wrap up, anything else come to mind that you might want to share before we sign off?
Well, I would just simply say at the end here, I think it's just so incredibly
important for teachers and educators to see themselves as professionals.
(25:24):
You know, professionals who deserve to be kind of honored, but professionals
who also need to be challenged.
That's part of the professional idea is to always be thinking about how you can do better.
And we do that in so many small areas of our lives, and we do that day by day,
(25:47):
doing some of the most important work with our students.
But I would encourage anyone to connect with some of these larger programs and
some of these larger initiatives, because they get you to see that not only are you not alone,
but you are part of an amazing group of people that exist out there, just just.
(26:10):
Folks who really care about what is happening with young people in their lives
and really do want to make that difference.
And to, you know, distinguish yourself in a way that brings you a little bit
more of a professional status, I think is a good thing.
And I think it's something that all teachers should consider,
especially when they're looking to kind of renew themselves and put a little
(26:34):
extra charge into the very valuable work that they do each and every day.
Teachers work extremely hard, as we all know, and they should be,
you know, connected to things that that really validate that,
but also cause them to reflect and challenge their practice.
All right. Well, that was well said. And I know it's been an honor to spotlight
(26:58):
you personally on this episode.
Thank you. But then also touch on the topics as well, just to make sure people
know that these are things that many educators do.
It's always nice when you have one in your district that you can talk to and
you're getting that experience firsthand.
And so in addition to honoring you, we also wanted to draw attention to these
(27:20):
topics so that, again, people have maybe a deeper appreciation for what teachers
do, the professionalism, ways they demonstrate that.
And you've done a great job of that in this episode. Well, thank you very much, Dr.
Breck. I'll just say, you know, as the last thing here that,
you know, I wouldn't be able to accomplish much of anything if I was not surrounded
(27:41):
by such caring educators and other wonderful adults who work so hard with young people.
They really are the ones that, you know, kind of provide the support to have
you take it just a little bit further and go the extra mile.
And that's all I would encourage everyone to consider is how you can do that
in a way that is really beneficial to students.
(28:05):
That's our intention every day. And it's great to be plugged into things that
make you feel like that's happening even more than perhaps it has in the past. All right.
Again, well said. And I think that's a great way to end the episode.
So again, Dr. Esselman, thanks for joining me. Thank you. Very much appreciated.
Music.
(28:36):
Thanks for listening to Afton Unplugged, a podcast by the Afton School District
that highlights the people and stories that make the district great.
In the Afton School District, education is the most important thing we do. We'll see you out there.
Music.
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