National Board Certified teachers recognized in Fairfield district

During National Teacher Appreciation Week, which is currently under way, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has extended its thanks to the 74,000 National Board Certified Teachers across the country who are serving schools and communities. 

Of those 74,000 nationally certified teachers, seven of them, plus one candidate, are working in the Fairfield Community School District: Jim Edgeton, Betsie Wotherspoon, Scott Slechta, Tena Nelson, Jennifer Mangler, Cathy Kaska, Marci Dunlap and candidate Mary Andersen.

Edgeton is the band instructor, Wotherspoon is a special needs teacher, and Slechta is an English language arts teacher at Fairfield High School. At Fairfield Middle School, Nelson is the GOAL teacher, Mangler is a social studies teacher, Kaska is an English language arts teacher, and Andersen is the instrumental band teacher. Dunlap is the district?s curriculum director, who formerly taught English language arts at FHS.

According to Slechta, the Fairfield school district is tied for fourth in the state for the number of National Board Certified Teachers, and in December, Iowa ranked 18th in the total number of teachers ? 628 ? who have achieved certification since the program began in 1993.

National Board Certified Teachers is the highest recognition a teacher can receive in the profession for his or her highly accomplished teaching practices and is earned through demonstrating teaching expertise using a voluntary process established by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

For the complete article, see the Tuesday, May 5, 2009, Fairfield Ledger.