Mr. Halmi, a teacher at Severna Park High School, is applying to become a National Board Certified teacher. As the Mathematics Department Chair, Halmi currently teaches AP Statistics and Honors Pre-Calculus, and runs the Math Honor Society.
“National Board Certification [NBC] gives teachers an opportunity to reflect on their teaching skills, and to be recognized as leaders in their field. It’s quite a prestigious recognition,” said Halmi. A teacher who is very proud of his work, Halmi is also respected and appreciated among Severna Park students. He enjoys challenging himself, so after teaching for several years, Halmi believes that pursuing this certification is a natural progression for him.
In order to be considered for NBC, teachers must go through four phases. Last year, Halmi was required to take a math test to confirm that he understands the content he teaches. According to Halmi, the second stage was “quite a daunting task”: writing a 12-page paper that he spent about 40 hours total creating. The paper “[described] how I tailor my instruction based on the needs of my individual students. I got the permission of two students to submit copies of their work in my AP Stat class, and I described how I adapted my lessons based on what their strengths, weaknesses, and individual needs were,” said Halmi. This year, he will be completing the remaining phases. He explained that he must take a video of two of his classes and submit another 12-page paper.
Once a teacher completes these four phases, the work is submitted and the teacher is notified of his or her score after several months. If any phase does not score high enough, the teacher can re-submit their work, a common action during this certification process.
Halmi hopes to become National Board certified, mostly to acquire personal satisfaction. “If I quality, I’ll join an elite group of teachers who I greatly admire. Having National Board Certification would also be an incredible boost to my resume,” said Halmi. Along with the recognition of being highly qualified, NBC teachers are awarded with a small bonus by Anne Arundel County Public Schools upon receiving their certification. In just a few weeks, Halmi will learn his scores.
According to Halmi, Anne Arundel County Public Schools encourages teachers to apply for National Board Certification, and they are helpful in providing resources for teachers seeking this opportunity. “They’ve provided me with a coach – a middle school math teacher who went through the certification process a few years ago, and have put me in with a group of other math teachers who are all in the process of becoming certified. We meet once a month to share our work, ask each other questions, and yes, commiserate with each other. Knowing that those resources were available to me helped give me the courage to sign up,” said Halmi. Halmi is a hardworking and passionate teacher, and although the certification process has been time-consuming for him, his hard work will hopefully pay off and he will be recognized for his great teaching.
