How will you pay for the components you want to complete this year? And WHO, at the National Board, decided this bill should come due a month after Christmas?
Here are some thoughts about financing this journey:
1- There is up to $500 in seed money available from our county to Harrison County NBCT candidates. The intent of the seed money is to remove barriers teachers might have in beginning this process. You could use this money to pay for one of your components. Tip: file for the money, receive it, and pay immediately for the component you are sure you will complete by June. You can pay for a component now. You don't have to wait until January. Some caveats: You must have a candidate ID# which you can get by paying $75 here when you sign up to become a National Board Candidate. Don't worry, this $75 is reimbursable by the state of WV. Another thing, if you don't complete the entire process, you will have to return the $500 to the county.
Now you have one component paid for, and if you pay for two components, you can get reimbursed by the state very quickly after you've paid for both of them. The state calls paying for two components your commitment to enrollment. Can you find $500 additional dollars? What about the medical allotment on December 5th? After you buy both components, you can file immediately for reimbursement of both components and the $75 registration fee. You can also file for reimbursement of graduate class fees, like the $99 grad credit you can get from Concord for our work this semester. It typically takes a few weeks to get that money back. In fact, the state of WV will reimburse up to $600 in other expenses you have in materials and graduate work you have while you are a candidate (keep your receipts.) It's like money in the bank.
2- You are receiving stipends for attending the cohort meetings if you are a Harrison County teacher. During the first semester, you were paid for five 2-hour meetings. That's up to $350 this semester. Unfortunately, we are only paying for one hour meetings second semester, but that is still an additional $175 if you attend those meetings.
3- You don't have to pass to be reimbursed. You do have to try to grow as a teacher, to reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses, and to do the best you can do this year to teach your students with the ideas of the National Board in mind.
4- Keep the end in mind: You are going to be reimbursed for the work of professional growth you are doing, and you will make $4000 more per year with ultimately no cost to you. This is a better deal than a Master's Degree.
If you have any questions about this post, you can call me at extension 7262 or email me. And you can try my cell. But, as my husband is fond of telling me, I am not great about paying attention to my phone! I am very passionate about this opportunity for you, but please don't be afraid of that. If you aren't ready, I totally get it. I thought about it and attended the informational meeting three times before I was ready. But if it's only the money thing, my advice is to get a running start and jump that stinkin' hurdle!
And...on a more professional note, let's be thankful for the leadership in Harrison County and in our state who have made this process financially possible for us as teachers. :-)
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