Professional certification: certification—making it a group project

MTNA professional certification--like performance area practice--can be a lonely pursuit. Vitalize the process by making certification a group project. Whether you are a state or local association certification chair or an individual NCTM, consider using these ideas in your association.

Some things are meant to be solitary. Some are meant to be shared. And a few solitary pursuits can be enhanced by making them collaborative. Consider certification--a very important step in the professional career of a music educator. The requisite steps involve effort and time. Given the hectic pace music teachers maintain, many teachers push the important certification process aside, despite the fact that every teacher who achieves certification enhances herself, her studio, the profession and the certification process itself. Why not help members of your local association or state music teachers association achieve this critical career milestone by embarking on a group certification project?

These ideas grew out of a certification project piloted in one local music teachers association. Consider these thoughts and let them be a springboard for a project in your local or state association. Let them stimulate your creativity and inspire you to begin a certification project in your own association.

First, you must persuade yourself of the value of certification for every teacher. Ask yourself why certification is important. Spend some time on this important first step. Access the MTNA Certification website at www.mtnacertification.org--a wealth of information is contained there. Re-read the certification articles in past issues of American Music Teacher magazine. Make a list including the value of certification to the teacher, the students, the public and the profession. And don't forget---certification has value as a process. It is a means by which teachers may examine and update their libraries, teaching methods, business practices and philosophies.

If you are a state certification chair, you will next need to purge your files. Nothing is more frustrating than dealing with a horrendous mess of disorganized papers and records. Inheriting such disorganization often is the bane of accepting a volunteer position. With respect to your storage space and your sanity, you will need to remedy this problem by sorting through the mess to bring order out of chaos. Create three stacks--keep, save and discard. Into the keep stack, put all papers you will need to access. According to your preference, file these papers into new file folders or organize them into a large notebook with dividers. The save stack includes items that should go to your group or state historian. Bundle these and send them to the right person now. Lastly, put anything that has no current or historical value in the discard stack. This would include old state certification documentation, multiple copies of previous events and so forth.

Be on the lookout during this purging process for any "surprise" issues. In one state, during the transfer of files, an unprocessed certification application was discovered. It was 11 years old and contained not only the application but also a check. Resolve to handle whatever comes to light during this process to the best of your ability. For advice and help, be sure to contact your division certification commissioner.

If you are a local certification chair, you probably won't inherit a deluge of paperwork, but you will need to procure pertinent certification documents from the MTNA website. Download and organize into a notebook for easy reference the portfolio guidelines, fees schedule, certification study guide, a certification application and any other helpful materials. Be sure to include room in your notebook for certification updates and correspondence. You also will want to secure a quantity of the professional certification brochures from MTNA to distribute to your members.

You are now ready to plan your work for the project. This involves deciding what you will do when. Think of the long-term goals first. How many teachers would you like to see certified? Dream big. Shoot for 100 percent of your association or group. Will all the uncertified teachers get certified during the project? Possibly, but probably not. You will, however, certainly have more at the end of the project than you have now. Decide the term of the project. Consider having it cover a school year, a semester or a summer. Establish the important dates such as the start and end dates and the certification examination date. For teachers planning to prepare the portfolio, it's a good idea to have the due date be the same as the examination date. Begin your timetable with these dates. Be sure to plan something special to conclude the project, such as a luncheon or dinner honoring the successful candidates. Invite a guest speaker, award certification pins and notify the media.

Short-term goals include what should be accomplished incrementally. For candidates reviewing for the examination or for candidates preparing the portfolio, the portfolio guidelines lend themselves well to the creation of incremental goals. Add these small weekly or bi-weekly steps to your timetable. You also will need to be available to give proficiency exams during the course of the project, on an as-needed basis.