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Jaci Fabian, NBCT - National Board Director of Candidate Experience
56 Plays1 year ago
Season Three kicks off with the Director of Candidate Experience here at the National Board. Jaci Fabian is a National Board Certified teacher in Chicago, Illinois, and left the classroom to join the candidate experience team at the National Board. She has since moved up to director and is leading the way for the National Board to create a more effective and equitable candidate experience process for educators on their National Board journey.
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Overview
00:00:00
Speaker
What's going on everyone? Welcome back for Season 3 of National Board Conversations. I'm excited to have you. We have a special guest for you to kick off the school year. Her name is Jackie Fabian. She's a National Board Certified Teacher that recently left the classroom. She was actually just named Director of Candidate Experience here at the National Board. I'm excited to bring her positive energy onto the podcast. I won't hold you any longer. Here's my conversation with Jackie.
00:00:26
Speaker
All right, so we're gonna get right into
Jackie's Background and Experience
00:00:28
Speaker
it. What's your current role and give a brief intro yourself. And then I got three questions to get a little bit deeper into who Jackie is. Sure, so I am the director of candidate experience. So anything that candidates need, I am your go-to person for that. I've been at the national board for about two years and previously before that, I was a high school English teacher and administrator for 13 years.
00:00:55
Speaker
We also got to give a shout out you at NBCT. I am, yes. Let that slide. Can't forget that. Can't forget that. I received my certification in 2019.
Personal Favorites and Hobbies
00:01:05
Speaker
All right, we'll get a little bit deeper into that a little bit later. So now, what are your three favorite foods? So this is a really hard question for me. So I will say three favorite foods, guacamole, rice and beans, but together. Those aren't two separate things. And a chocolate chip cookie.
00:01:24
Speaker
Rice and beans in true Hispanic way. I love it. What are the last three songs on your Spotify, Apple music, whatever music form you lose playlist? I've been on a country kick lately.
00:01:39
Speaker
my last three, or last night by Morgan Wallen, what my world spins around, Jordan Davis. And then I'm actually seeing Loud Luxury this weekend. So I have the song Sunroof. Those are my three little eclectic mix. Get you down to Nashville. Yeah, yeah.
Passion for Teaching and Self-Care
00:01:58
Speaker
So what's the one sports scene that has your heart? And if you're not a sports person, one movie you can recite line from line.
00:02:06
Speaker
Chicago White Sox saw them in the World Series. My family has been big fans for a really long time. Oh man, when was the last time you was at a game? It's been a little while. I think last year or two years. But that ain't that long. You think it seemed like it was like five years? I have to get to another one soon, hopefully this summer. All right, all right. So now we're going to get into your career a little bit. Can you share why you became a teacher and why you remain connected to education here at the National Board?
00:02:33
Speaker
Yeah, so this question is always just so easy for me to answer. I never really thought I would do anything else. Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to be a teacher and then when I had
00:02:45
Speaker
Um, English language arts with a teacher, her name was Miss Lapley. She was my eighth grade English teacher. I knew I wanted to be an English teacher, particularly. Um, and so still connected to education because, um, when I got later into my career, I started doing a lot of professional developments for teachers. And so I really love and have a strong passion for supporting teachers and their professional journey. So why did you end up leaving the classroom?
00:03:12
Speaker
Oh, I was burned out. I was the one who tried to do it all. I wrote curriculum. I did all the extracurriculars. I constantly, you know, I always had students in my classroom wanting to talk or hang out. And so I feel like there was just, and I loved it. I loved it so much, but I didn't really give myself time to process and decompress and all of that. And it got to me.
00:03:40
Speaker
So definitely take care of yourselves teachers. What did you enjoy most about being in the classroom?
Fondness for Ninth Graders
00:03:46
Speaker
The kids. Not everyone is a fan of teaching ninth grade, but I loved it. I am still in contact with a lot of the kids that I taught. And so I just love their jokes and their laughter and they're just, they're goofy. And I just, I loved being around that energy.
00:04:04
Speaker
And I've grazed like that transition year for a while. You don't feel like an adult, but you feel like you got to act like an adult for some reason. Yeah. And at the beginning of the year, they're such different humans than they are at the end of the year. So I love seeing that transition of them too. A big shift. Yeah, it's huge. Yeah. Did you have classes or years that stood out to you?
Creative Approaches to Teaching Shakespeare
00:04:28
Speaker
Yes, so it would definitely be my first group of kids. Those are the kids that I'm so, I call them kids. They were like 29 and 30 now. Yeah, was anybody rolling? I actually just saw one at the mall on Tuesday, one of my first group of freshmen, I saw him at the mall. So it was really nice just to see him and catch up with him. But they're the classes of 2011 and 2012 at Bolingbroke High School. Oh, okay, okay. Yeah.
00:04:57
Speaker
You were a high school English teacher. Yep. Did you have any lessons that you that were your favorite to teach?
00:05:04
Speaker
So I was really known for how I would approach Romeo and Juliet. My kids would get dressed up in costumes and we would act it all out and I would have scenery and, you know, all of that. And so the students really got into what, you know, what Shakespeare was saying and reading the language and all of that because we acted everything out. So it was always really fun to do. So a little off script, what was your favorite Shakespeare story?
00:05:33
Speaker
My favorite as a college student was Othello. I love the character of Iago, but my favorite to teach was Romeo and Juliet by far. Okay. So off the top, we talked about it. You're an NBCT. What pushed you to pursue board certification? What was your journey
Journey to Board Certification
00:05:56
Speaker
like? Did you achieve on the first try?
00:05:59
Speaker
I did and so I was in both of the schools that I spent the most time and I was surrounded by board certified teachers and so it was just always kind of for me the next step in my professional career and I actually had signed up to start it.
00:06:14
Speaker
in 2011, and then my grandma got sick. And so I backed out and didn't pursue it again until 2017. I was at a different school at that point, still teaching freshmen. And so yeah, so I decided to pursue that and receive my certification in 2019. I was really lucky because I had a few teachers in my department who were going through it too.
00:06:38
Speaker
And then my co-teacher also had just certified, so she was able to give me some pointers and things like that. I was really lucky to have a really great support system around me who I could just bounce ideas off of and just kind of be there for me, which I was really lucky to have that. Yeah, so transitioning schools couldn't have been easy either. Yeah, yeah. But it was, they were very different in schools, but
00:07:08
Speaker
both had such amazing staff. So big shout out to Boeingbroke and Naperville North, both in the Chicago suburbs, just amazing English departments, amazing colleagues in all the departments, but yeah. So what was the most helpful coaching conversation or resource or advice you received while you were pursuing? So my colleague Janelle from Boeingbroke
00:07:35
Speaker
who is now the department chair of English at Bowlingbrook. She actually invited me over to her house over the summer and was like, here's what you need to do to get started. And she, this is all over the summer. And so really she was just like, read this over the summer. And that was probably the most helpful because I wasn't scrambling throughout the school year. Cause as soon as the school year starts, you're just in like warp speed. And so it was just really nice to be able to sit down during the summer
00:08:05
Speaker
at the pool or wherever and just knock that out. So I was really grateful for that advice and I tell anyone to start doing that over the summer. And that was kind of the basis for putting together Homeroom. Yeah, I was just going to say that. Absolutely. So now you're the Director of Candidate Experience here at National Board.
Tips for National Board Candidates
00:08:23
Speaker
And as you get back to school, can you give three to five tips or best practices for candidates getting ready to start their process?
00:08:30
Speaker
Yeah, so kind of connects to what I just said. So take your time to read through the standards and the certificate specific instructions. Join our webinars and our office hours because those are going to give you some real practical advice and you'll have the opportunity to ask questions of National Board Certified Teachers.
00:08:51
Speaker
in candidate support providers, which is just so helpful. Don't wait to get started. As soon as the school year starts, start doing what you need to do to prepare yourself. So getting those forms signed, making sure that you've read things, planning out what lessons you're going to collect evidence from, and obviously use Homeroom. That is our new resource, and I can get more into that in the next question, but definitely start using Homeroom.
00:09:20
Speaker
So yeah, let's get into it. That was a big project that you took on and took into completion. How was the launch of Homeroom expected to help Candace through their journey?
Launching Homeroom for Candidate Support
00:09:32
Speaker
Well, I kind of already touched on this, but the advice that I got was start early. Make sure that the time that you have to just, the available time that you have during the summer, start that. And so when I started thinking about what I wanted Homeroom to look like,
00:09:49
Speaker
I wanted it to be sequenced for educators. I wanted people to be able to go there and know exactly what the next step was in board certification. So this is for folks who have candidate support and for folks who don't. This is particularly helpful for folks that don't because what I did was I use the expertise of people in our community
00:10:12
Speaker
To put homeroom together. So a lot of what is in homeroom is the same sequence that you would see in a candidate support program Which is really awesome But they'll find all of our official documents support guides webinars, you know previously recorded webinars you'll see the link to sign up for office hours and
00:10:33
Speaker
So there's just so much in there. And if you just go step by step, it takes you through the entire process. And you can tailor it for what you're doing. So if you're only doing components two and three, you can only focus on the information for two and three and then come back to one and four later. But that's the beauty of it is you can take it in whatever direction that you want to. But our resources were everywhere. And so it's really great that
00:11:01
Speaker
you know, now they're all in one spot for everybody. So it's easy to find things. Yeah. Like our website was a little bit of a unorganized mess when it came to research and things like that. So having it in certain places, having it in one place in order can really help people put it, put, put it together, especially the, like we said, the ones that are alone, like the rural teachers and the teachers and predominantly schools of color who don't seem to get those same level of support. Yeah.
00:11:30
Speaker
And I feel like there were just so many resources that we would share at webinars or just randomly with folks. And sometimes you would never be able to find those again. And so again, it's just a really great place for folks to get everything that they need to support their journey. It's all there for you. So definitely use it.
00:11:52
Speaker
And I really think the sequence part really can be understated. Yes, you're so right. And again, I think that the number one question, at least in my experience being in this role, is I don't know what to do next, or I don't know what to get started, or what am I supposed to be reading first? And so I really took a lot of time to make sure that the sequence of when folks do what
00:12:20
Speaker
is accurate and is helpful for folks so that way they know exactly where they need to go next.
Recording and Certification Process
00:12:27
Speaker
So part of the national board journey is recording yourself in action in the classroom and we're gonna have a lot of candidates going through that process this year and it's not something that's very easy. So for those that are recording this year, can you give some tips on how you went about it when you were going through your process?
00:12:42
Speaker
Yeah, so this is probably the most intimidating component for me, but it ended up being my favorite because you never, at least in my experience, I never watched myself teach. I never recorded myself. I know folks who went through edTPA got that opportunity, but I didn't. And so I loved
00:13:02
Speaker
being able to watch myself back and see how I could tweak my practice. I thought that was really helpful. So my biggest piece of advice is utilize your colleagues. I had an instructional coach record me when I was going through that. That way I didn't have to worry about
00:13:18
Speaker
you know, is the camera going to fall or, you know, is the audio okay? She was able to kind of give me, you know, okay, this is, you know, it's kind of soft here. I can't really hear here. So it was really great to have that. And I also got support from our library media specialists to compress my video and make sure that the audio was good and, you know, and all of that. So there's a lot of hidden gems in your building. You have those resources.
00:13:48
Speaker
Um, so definitely use them if you have them available to you. That's a really good tip. I never really thought about the library source as being able to get your video right and audio right. Like I'll talk to Kim Jones, who was, uh, the North Carolina teacher of the year. And she said she had a science teacher go through her writing to, she's an English teacher too. So she would like just have stuff cut down and she'd be like, no, I need these details. But no, it was like, no, you just have to answer the question.
00:14:17
Speaker
Oh, English teachers have to be probably the hardest ones to cut down because we're so flowery in a lot of our language. And we're so used to using all of the literary devices and all of that. And it's very hard for us, I think, just to give the facts. And so, so yeah, so I can definitely understand that for sure.
00:14:40
Speaker
So is it important to have your students on board with you while you're going through this journey and how do you get your students invested along with you?
Engaging Students in Certification Journey
00:14:48
Speaker
Yeah, so I told them about it day one. We create, I did this activity where students created their own vision boards. And so when I was presenting my example of my vision board and my co-teacher presented her vision board, we both talked about board certification. So she had just received certification and I was just starting it. So it was really cool for both of us to talk about it first. Where in the Chicago suburbs, a lot of parents know board certification too.
00:15:18
Speaker
Students probably don't as much, but sharing that with parents I think was really great too. But to get students, I think it's so important to get students on board. They liked knowing that I was also trying to accomplish something.
00:15:33
Speaker
because they have their own academic journeys and they don't always get to see teachers doing their own journeys as well. So being able to give them a glimpse of that and talk to them about why I'm collecting this evidence and why they have these folders and why I'm trying to redo certain activities and things like that because as I
00:16:00
Speaker
was going through board certification. I realized that there were some things that didn't work. And so it made me reflect a lot on what I needed to change in my practice, which was really great. And the kids got to see all of that. And I think seeing your teacher try something and have it not work or try something and have them have to do it again, I think that that's so great for them to see because that's what we expect out of them too. So, yeah.
00:16:29
Speaker
I think back to how I would have thought about it as a student. I think knowing that my teacher was trying to be better would have motivated me to be a better student in the process. I know she's trying to be a better teacher. All right, I want to be a better student so I don't look bad on these videos. And also just because, I don't know, it's just a level of motivation that I know if somebody else is going to be better, then I want to be better too. Yeah.
00:16:59
Speaker
they need to see that it's okay to fail and that it's okay for teachers to not be robots. I think sometimes when, and I've been very lucky, like I feel like I was able to build really strong relationships with my students. And so they got to see that human side of me. But I think sometimes, you know, as teachers, we just are seen as
00:17:24
Speaker
We're up in the classroom, we do our job, and then the kids leave. To be able to see your teacher do something that they're also doing in their own way is just really cool. Having that conversation with them about, here's what I'm doing, here's why I'm doing it.
00:17:45
Speaker
You know, I don't know if I'm going to be successful yet. I won't find out for two years, but you know, we're going to try it out and see if it works. Um, and so, yeah, it was, it was very cool to have them on board with me and kind of cheering me on too. Yeah, that probably would have been my favorite part was cheering or cheering on to get it done. And then just being happy to finally achieve. Yeah. Yeah. All right. So moving out of your career questions and into a little bit more personal again.
00:18:14
Speaker
Who is your favorite fictional teacher, movie, TV, or a book?
Influence of LaVar Burton
00:18:20
Speaker
You know, I don't know if I have one. I really thought about this. What are some answers that people give? Because I think- Oh man, we get a lot of Abbott Elementary. We get- Oh, I do like that. I've gotten Morgan Freeman and Lean On Me. We've definitely gotten a wide variety of answers.
00:18:44
Speaker
fictional teacher. Somebody from, I believe it was Sister Act. Oh, okay. Yeah. It was a lot of different favorite teachers. That's cool to hear. I would say mine personally. I always think of Ms. Frizzle for real because Magic School Bus was just a staple
00:19:10
Speaker
staple cartoon that I would watch on the time I did have after school. I was playing a lot of sports. So it wasn't much time, but Magic School Bus was definitely one that stood out. So he is not really a fictional teacher, but I guess I considered him a teacher. So I was a big reader when I was a kid. And so LaVar Burton, who always did Reading Rainbow.
00:19:34
Speaker
Um, I loved that show. Um, and so I would say, you know, I guess it's, you know, not necessarily a fictional show, but, um, I would say him, I feel like it was just really cool to see books on TV. Um, cause that wasn't necessarily a quote unquote cool thing to talk about. And so I loved being able to, to see that there. Okay.
Favorite Chicago Restaurants
00:20:01
Speaker
Okay.
00:20:01
Speaker
So what are three restaurants folks should try to visit in Chicago?
00:20:06
Speaker
Okay. So this is a tough one for me too. Because we just have so much. So if you've never watched- How people like Chicago's the best food city in America for- 100%. I think sometimes people will say like, LA is really good. And, you know, we have a lot of colleagues in DC. And so people will say DC, but I am very partial to Chicago. If you've never watched The Bear on FX Hulu, definitely check that out. A lot of the restaurants that are in the show,
00:20:36
Speaker
are actually in my neighborhood. And so it's been really cool to see my neighborhood spotlighted on TV. I'm like, I, my heart is in Chicago. Yeah. So it's just, I would love to be, um, but it was, it was just really cool to see that. And I love the culinary world. So just, you know, being able to see that anyways. Um, so my top three, I would say are Rosemary. Um, it's like an Italian Croatian,
00:21:05
Speaker
infusion place or fusion place. Monte Verde, which is Italian, they make their own pasta in house. And so you if you sit at the bar, you can actually watch them make the pasta, like they have a mirror over the person like creating the pasta, which is really cool. And then you got to have some pizza in there, obviously. So one that people don't necessarily go to, because I know we hear a lot of like roomel nadis and Giordano's and
00:21:34
Speaker
You know, all of that. But yeah, but I would say Chicago Oven and Pizza Grinder. It's up in Lincoln Park. It's a very small place. There's no reservations. People are just sitting out there for hours waiting to go. And it is top notch. It is delicious. So I would say it's only places. Is it what? Is it cash only? No, luckily. At least it wasn't when I was there. But I don't know.
00:22:02
Speaker
Yeah, but it's so good. So good. It's the same host that's been there for who knows how long. And he remembers everyone. So when you say I'm looking for a table, he'll come find you without writing anything down. It's crazy. But yeah, so it's a really, really top notch place.
Encouragement to Pursue Certification
00:22:25
Speaker
As you know, listening on previous episodes, we have a feature on the podcast called the shoulder tap. Shoulder tap someone.
00:22:32
Speaker
and let them know they're ready to become a National Board Certified Teacher. On here, we'll give them a quick shout out and we'll encourage them through social media channels to go through the process. So Jackie, who are you shoulder tapping today? So I'm going to do this in honor of her birthday, which is today, and she's also my best friend. So I am going to shoulder tap Kelsey Fletcher Brochak. She's the Department Chair of World Languages at Bolingbroke High School. Awesome. Awesome. Thank you. Thank you, Jackie.
00:23:02
Speaker
Thank you, this is one your fault. What a fun conversation.
Closing and Community Engagement
00:23:07
Speaker
I want to thank Jackie again for joining me here on National Board Conversations. And if you're a National Board candidate on your journey, be sure to take down some of those tips. If you're an MBCT, share a few of your best tips on social media and tag us at mbpts on Twitter or Instagram. We'll be sure to share them with the candidates. Be sure to follow us across all social media for any National Board related updates. And we'll see you next time.