Kentucky Connected Educator Allison Hunt

Allison Hunt Jefferson County Schools

In what ways are you a connected educator?

A connected educator  isn’t constrained by spatial proximity.  In my geography classes we often discuss time-space compression and how technology allows us to overcome concerns of distance.  Some of my most valued colleagues teach hundreds or thousands of miles away from my classroom.  We come together online and act as an authentic professional learning community.  I am connected with my colleagues across the country and beyond by being the administrator of the Advanced Placement Human Geography Readers Facebook page, the moderator of the College Board Advanced Placement Human Geography Community, and by following amazing education professionals on Twitter (for example, Seth Dixon @humangeog who is a college professor in Rhode Island).  

How does being connected impact your practice in schools/classroom?

Being a connected educator challenges me to reflect on my practice every day.  Reading the amazing things other teachers across the world are doing on a regular basis challenges me to create the same types of experiences for my students.  Being connected means that the examples I bring to the classroom are current examples, which are much more meaningful to students.  In the future I hope to work with other AP Human Geography teachers on a series of common projects our students can share with each other.

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

Today there is a great deal of emphasis on Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).  Truly effective PLCs occur organically, they are not the forced PLCs that many educators have experienced.  I consider my connected activities with other educators part of my PLC.  I can’t imagine not having the valuable exchanges with my colleagues across the country.  With my interactions I can reflect on lessons (both my own and theirs), share resources, and just generally be supported by others.  Being connected goes a long way towards breaking down the walls of our one room school house mentality.

What advice or resources would you recommend to colleagues interested in becoming connected?

The main piece of advice is one I repeatedly give teachers who join our Advanced Placement Human Geography Facebook Group- you have something valuable to contribute.  Don’t hold back and instead join in the conversations.  Ask questions, answer questions, post resources, evaluate resources, etc.  The more you give, the more you will gain!  As far as resources, start with a simple search of your favorite social media site(s).  If you teach Advanced Placement be sure to participate in the established College Board communities.

Bio: Allison Hunt is a National Board Certificed Teacher and an Advanced Placement Human Geograpy Teacher at duPont Manual High School in Jefferson County. Her teaching philosophy is rooted in the importance of building positive relationships and in challenging all students to achieve at the highest possible level. In addition to her teaching load, she sponsors the Classes of 2015 and 2016. She is also the moderator of the AP Human Geography Community, An AP Human Geography Test Development Committee member, a steering member for the Kentucky Geography Allianse, a board member for the KEntucy Association of School Counciles, a 2013 Hope Street Group National Teacher Fellow, and past-preseidnet of the Kentucky Association of Teachers of History. She has received awards including the 2013 Kentucky High School Teacher of the Year, 2013 Allison Hunt is National Board Certified Teacher and an Advanced Placement Human Geography School Teacher of the Year, 2012 Gold Star Teacher Award from W!ise, 2012 Behring National History Day Kentucky Teacher of the Year, 2011 WHAS-TV ExCEL Award, 2009 Distinguieshed Teacher AWard from the National Council for Geographic Education, and the 2008 Kentucky Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award from the Kentucky Council of Social Studies. Allison earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration/Political Science from Georgetwon College, her Masters of Arts in Teaching degree from the University of Louisville, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Louisville.

Kentucky Connected Educator Sherri McPherson

Sherri McPherson Fayette County Schools

Since October 2013 when you were featured as one of Kentucky’s Connected Educators, in what way has your connectedness continued to grow?

In November 2013, I earned my National Board Certification and joined the almost 3,000 Kentucky teachers who are NBCTs. Nationally, there are over 100,000 National Board Certified Teachers. That’s a large group of amazing teachers that I am now connected with. This year I am a 2014 Hope Street Group Kentucky Teacher Fellow. The fellowship provides both the opportunity and the platform to speak for teachers’ ideas and perspectives in our state. This year’s work revolves around our new teacher evaluation system, teacher leadership, and the use of teacher time. I have learned that the more connections I make the more I want to make. Being connected fuels my desire to learn about my content and profession. The more connected I become, the more I realize I still have a lot to learn. 

How is your practice enhanced by being connected?

By being connected, face-to-face and virtually, I am able to find mentors, explore ideas, and keep up-to-date on our ever-changing profession. I no longer have to wait for professional development to come to my school or district. Now, professional development comes to me and it’s personalized based on my needs and interests. I can chat with a colleague online, read a blog, or explore new teaching strategies and then implement what I learned the next day in class.

How are you connected beyond Kentucky?

Through Hope Street Group and my work on the Bill and Melinda Gates Teacher Advisory Council, I am connected to teachers across the state, but also nationally. We connect mostly through Twitter, but try to connect face-to-face at state and national convenings. This year is the second year I am involved in the Common Assignment Study which pairs teachers in Kentucky and Colorado together to work on common units in social studies, English, and science.

How does your connectedness flow over into your work with students?

My connectedness flows into my work with students because often I use my connections to improve my content knowledge or teaching strategies. This year, I am trying Ariel Sacks Whole Novels approach with my students. I discovered the approach through my connections on Twitter. Last year, I implemented Genius Hour after learning about it through my connections. I call on my connections to bring in community members to serve on panels for my students. One panel is made up of alumni from our school, for a school research project the students do at the end of the school year. Another panel serves as an authentic audience for when my students present their Genius Hour presentations. Many of the technology programs and tools my students and I use,  I found through my online connections. 

Kentucky Connected Educator Pennye Rogers

Pennye Rogers  Todd County High School

In what ways are you a connected educator?

I am a connected educator in that I make use of social media such as LinkedIn, facebook and twitter to connect with educators and policy makers across the state and nation. I am a blog facilitator for the Great Public Schools (GPS) network that reaches teachers nationwide.  I network through organizations to which I belong such as KEA, NEA, Hope Street Group, and other professional organizations. Contacts with local universities help me to keep up with opportunities for myself and my students.

How does being connected impact your practice in schools/classroom?

Being connected allows me to focus on issues important to education and to be able to prepare myself and my students to meet the challenges that face us. Connection promotes networking so that I not only have the most current information about legislative issues but about decisions that affect my classroom and my teaching.  For example, I receive the latest information about requirements/changes of PGES, program reviews, state testing, and leadership opportunities for myself and for my students. This gives me the knowledge and incentive to change my teaching practice to better fit the needs of my students for success in college and career.

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

The most important aspect of connection is the networking with other professionalsl deeply involved in education reform.  Not only do I find out about important educational concerns, but I can share those concerns with colleagues and encourage teacher voice to positively impact legislative decisions affecting teachers and students of KY.  It allows my small county to have a voice in the big picture so that teachers and administrators are proactive rather than reactive. Connection builds community and a shared focus across the state regardless of the size of the school or community.

What advice or resources would you recommend to colleagues interested in becoming connected?

I would advise any teacher to join professional organizations that serve to build up the teaching profession and enhance student achievement.  Whether the teacher is actively involved or not, membership in these organizations such as KEA, Hope Street Group, Center for Teaching Quality, etc., promote the spread of the relevant educational information that will grow any educational program and enhance teacher leadership just by sharing the information with other like-minded colleagues. Also, I would recommend that every teacher look into National Board Certification as a means to not only enhance his/her own effective teaching but to build personal leadership capacity. My National Board Certification has opened so many doors to leadership opportunities that have helped to shape me as a teacher leader and education advocate.

Bio:  I teach High School Science classes (this year Physics and Anatomy) at Todd County Central High School. I am currently in my 26th year! Through hard work and dedication, my colleagues and I have elevated our school to the distinguished level for the past 2 years. I am the SBDM vice chair, serve as department chair, work with KEA’s National Board Jump Start Program, sit on the KASC Board of Directors, am a Kentucky Innovative Teacher Leader, the NEA GPS network blog facilitator for the NBCT group , and the choir director of the First Presbyterian Church of Greenville.

In my spare time, I live on a farm in the country and enjoy reading, gardening, home canning, and being outdoors. I am married with 3 children and have 1 beautiful granddaughter.

Kentucky is Transforming Teaching and Leading

 By:  Renee Boss

Kentucky is one of six states and/or districts participating in a new project with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.  We are a network of states and districts leading the transformation of the teaching profession by developing and strengthening systems to make board certification the norm and capitalize on the instructional expertise of board-certified teachers.  As a member of Kentucky's #NT3 team, I had the privilege of traveling with our team to Palo Alto, California recently for a week of planning and networking with the teams from the other states and districts.  Our week was filled with long days of intense conversations and planning, but I'm certain it is all worthwhile because I believe in our two aims.

Our meetings were held on Stanford University's campus

The aims of this project are to:
1) increase the number of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs)
2) capitalize on instructional leadership of NBCTs

By increasing the number of National Board Certified Teachers, we can make national board certification more the norm rather than a group of a few nationwide.  Over 200 research studies have shown the effectiveness of national board certified teachers in classrooms across the country. NBCTs demonstrate they are highly reflective and capable of teaching at high levels for all students to learn. Since the NBCT process is notoriously difficult to complete (50% pass rate), and it's incredibly expensive on a teacher's salary, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards organization is revamping the timing of the process and the payment requirements to make the process more accessible to a wider range of teachers.  The 5 Core Propositions will not be changed, and the standards for each content area will not be lowered.  However, now candidates will have more than one year to complete all the required components, and the cost will be more evenly distributed over the three year time period for completing the process.  In addition to these financial and time supports, external organizations will increase the mentoring and support options for candidates pursuing the NB certification process.

After I achieved NB certification, I distinctly remember a time when I asked my principal if I could serve in other leadership capacities and was told no because my expertise was needed in the classroom.  The second aim of the #NT3 is to capitalize on the instructional expertise of NBC teachers so that NBCTs serve in more leadership roles. This particular aim pushes on the need for system leaders to recognize that teachers are an important improvement resource, and it also requires a shared understanding of the strong connection between board certification and instructional leadership roles.  Not all NBCTs have the same exact leadership strengths, so this second aim also strives to match NBCTs and their instructional expertise with the right teacher leadership roles.  For example, some NBCTs are effective with facilitating adult learning, so they work well with their colleagues in professional development settings or in instructional coaching roles. Other NBCTs have more expertise working with the community and parents, so they might serve in roles as community liaisons for a local school or district.  These two roles represent a tiny fraction of the leadership opportunities NBCTs deserve.  You see, all NBCTs (by virtue of completing the NBCT process) have demonstrated their ability as leaders because Entry 4 of the NBCT portfolio requires us to prove our leadership capacity to impact student achievement.

 NBPTS is looking at the medical profession model when seeking to transform the teaching profession and to make board certification more the norm.  Ron Thorpe, CEO and President of NBPTS, talked to us on the last day of our meeting about Paul Starr's book The Social Transformation of American Medicine.  The book is next on my reading list because according to Thorpe, it provides a model from which the teaching profession can learn.  In the nineteenth century, the medical field professionalized itself by changing the social structure of physicians.

I am hopeful with these two aims of  #NT3 that we will transform teaching and leading in education not only in Kentucky but in our entire country. Our students deserve equitable access to board certified teachers who have demonstrated mastery of content knowledge, the ability to design learning experiences that advance learning, the use of assessments to inform instructional decision making, and a commitment to parent, community, and colleague partnerships.

I believe we will see better teacher preparation and support to meet aim one, and that we will  begin seeing more hybrid roles for teachers and more NBCTs leading the education profession to meet aim two. Since Kentucky decided to participate in this important work with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, I believe we are demonstrating our state's commitment to advancing the work of committed and effective teachers who desire for all students to learn.