Transcript
Speaker: Hello and welcome back Candidate Conversations.
Speaker: to us by way of a colleague. So I'm going to shout out Dr. Daphne Harris-Brown right now. We're so happy connect with you today, my dear Ian. So before we get started, i always like to set the ground with like, just share a little bit about yourself, maybe where you teach, um reiterate your name, just a quick introduction. Okay.
Speaker: My name is Myderion Booker. I am from a small town in the Mississippi Delta, Metcalf, Mississippi. Not many people know of it. um I have been teaching. This is my eighth year. um I'm currently teaching at Urbana High School. This is where i graduated from, and this is my fifth year here.
Speaker: I teach 11th and 12th grade English, um so English 3, English 4. And then I also teach 7th and 8th grade ELA with at the after-school program. Okay, so it sounds like you do a lot. And I'm just going to re-highlight for the listener, because i always think this is so fascinating as someone who moved around a lot as a child, and I went to high school overseas.
Speaker: ah And my school actually, now that think about it, doesn't even exist anymore. So like I can never like go back home. right like I can never go back and teach in school. schools that i went to um but yeah my darian teaches y'all at the same school he graduated from and so we're gonna we're gonna dive into that a little bit later because i'm so curious about the connection of being back home and like in a place where you grew up and now you're like watching other people grow um but before we hop into that let's talk about why we're in this conversation right it's a candidate conversation because we're talking about board certification
Speaker: And we all come to this process with different wants, needs, motivations, interests. So I'm so curious, how did you come to the decision to pursue board certification?
Speaker: Right. So um before all before I came back to teach where I grew up and graduated from, I taught at a middle school in Meridian, Mississippi, Northwest Middle School,
Speaker: And I had never heard of national boards, didn't know what it was. And I remember a teacher come in my room and she said, you know, the way that you engage with your students, the way that your classroom is structured, the way you have everything laid out, you will be a perfect candidate for national boards.
Speaker: And so when she said that, i was like, hmm. So I went, I looked into it and I saw that you had to, I think at that point you had to have taught three years maybe.
Speaker: ah rag yeah I was just in my first year of teaching. um And then when I came home to O'Bannon, I remember getting an email about the time cohort.
Speaker: And at that point, I think I was just at three years. And so it just seemed like everything all came together. that One time I had Been wanting to do national awards since I heard about it. I finally was three years in.
Speaker: And then here comes this scholarship opportunity, basically. And it was just like, everything just said, go for The reason behind wanting to do it, um... Every decision that i make within education is always to be better and it's always to give my students the best of me.
Speaker: And I felt like this was the perfect opportunity to really just hone in on the craft of instruction, differentiation, and being like the best educator I can possibly be for my students, especially when you are working with students who some are great levels behind, some aren't confident with their writing. And so this puts me in a position to give students what I never got when I was in school.
Speaker: Yeah. I don't even know where to go. I'm getting emotional. Because one, we did not like rehearse this or have you talked about this. But two, I think something as I'm like listening to not only your content area, right, you're an English teacher, but also i just think about the power of words, right? The written, the spoken, and the being able to be to be literate, right? Like how much power that has. And so how impactful your work and your intention about being better for your students, especially around a skill that like literally carries them through life. I know it's very cliche for kids to be like, well, what am I ever going to use this?
Speaker: But honestly, literacy is how we access the world. And so without it without that experience and without that, um you know, deep exploration, which it sounds like that's part of what you do,
Speaker: you know i just think about all the the the students and kids and learners. and I mean, there's even adults right who don't have access because they don't have access to see. who Okay. And this is just starting in the conversation. Right, right, right. And it's so funny to me because I always tell kids, um when I was in high school, I never studied.
Speaker: All I did was I listened, I paid attention, I interacted, and I was able to pass everything. And then when I got into undergrad, I i took um advanced compter.
Speaker: And English was always one of my strongest subjects. I loved English. I loved math. And I got my first F ever in English.
Speaker: And it completely destroyed me. And I vowed in that moment, when I came back, I would make sure that any kid that came through my classroom was prepared for writing on the college level.
Speaker: Wow. yeah Well, one, thank you so much for what you do. And two, i'm sharing a bit about your own experiences that are impacting how you show up as a professional.
Speaker: And so with that, I'm also just in awe and admiration of how you heard this one thing of like, oh, national board certification. And yes, to your point, at the time, you had to have completed three years of teaching.
Speaker: And so to one not only remember, like, and hold on to that three years later and be like, oh, I think I still want to do this. And instead of like one ear, not the other, but just the alignment of like the timing and the profession, your readiness to pursue. and then this word that we keep throwing around as the time grant.
Speaker: And so I wonder if you can speak more to one, what is the time grant? And then two, how did that um experience work? either with the grant, with the training that came with that, like how did that impact your pursuit of board certification?
Speaker: So the time grant, time cohort, it's basically, i always refer to it as a scholarship, but it was um basically a scholarship that would cover your pursuit of national boards.
Speaker: um And you did it with a cohort of teachers from different schools within our community. So um from O'Bannon, from Greenville High School, um even from all the way into Meridians, all across Mississippi. And um and What was interesting to me is people that I've worked with since I've gotten here were the same people that al so I was seeing in the room with me when we going to different meetings.
Speaker: um And so it helped to create almost like a community, um not just at my school, but at schools with people I may have never even met or talked to without this cohort.
Speaker: And so in addition to that community, um Tom also connected us with WCTP programs, World Class Teaching Programs. um And so I've been able to do the Mississippi State's World Class Teaching Program and also the Ole Miss um World Class Teaching Program.
Speaker: And with all that experience, I know when we first got into it, all of us was thinking that national boards was this extreme process that none of us would be able to do. Because I know when I first made it to Abandon, there were two teachers, no, three teachers, who were actually midway through their national boards process.
Speaker: And they just stopped. cold turkey. said it was too much. And so going in, I was so afraid that it was going to be that same experience. But i i kid you not, we went a year...
Speaker: And we met our first year into our journey. We met with um the time cohort. They did like an informational in April. And we all left that informational just stressed and overwhelmed because it was the first time we really learned like what all goes into this process.
Speaker: And I remember Dr. Brown, Dr. Brown pulled us to the side and she said, look, I know you all got a lot of information today. i know that you all are overwhelmed.
Speaker: And she said, here's what I would do. And she walked us through what she would do if she was going through the process. And... Anytime I think about giving up, anytime I think about quitting, I always think back her because she she constantly reaches out to me.
Speaker: She constantly encourages me. And it's always, you know, we don't have a lot of black male educators. We don't have a lot of black male National Board Certified educators. And just knowing that someone is so...
Speaker: So what's the word I'm looking for? They're so just invested in what you're doing, investing in you becoming better. Even when you don't have anything else to give, you find it to give because you know that there's someone relying on you, not relying on you, but there's someone waiting on you to get what they know you're going to get, what they know you can get.
Speaker: I have chills because I have worked with Daphne, Dr. Brown. We actually started together. And while she was working on the work in Mississippi, I was running a grant in Kentucky.
Speaker: And so we would meet, you know, occasionally and kind of talk about our work. And I can attest to like the love, the investment and the commitment that you speak of.
Speaker: And so i've always been like on the outside looking in. So it's nice to get the perspective of someone who were who was receiving that, right? Like I could see the Slack messages and the like, you got this and hang in there. And did you remember? Don't forget.
Speaker: and i was just always so impressed. And so it's so it's so nice to hear from the other end, like what that impact had on you and I just also want to champion you and say like one thanks for sticking in there and thanks for your transparency because you're right sometimes you go through those informationals and you're like uh so what oh okay or you hear or you hear like the conversations right like there is a rhetoric that the certification process is hard and
Speaker: That's not always, um like it's not always qualitative when people say that. They're just like, it's hard, but like what is hard to me is that it's a lot of time, it's a lot of writing, it's a lot of like, soul searching that you're not prepared for. So thank you for not hearing, or actually thank you for hearing, it's a lot, it's hard, but then figuring out like your way through. So I am so grateful for you.
Speaker: Thank you. Thank you. um now i think one thing I can add is, you know, everyone always said... um it's It's nothing that you're not already doing. You're not reinventing the wheel. It's things that you do every single day.
Speaker: And so in doing this, I've learned so much. Like I've always told people, i don't know how to differentiate. Like that's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.
Speaker: And then to sit down and realize, oh, you gave this student a different way to do this same assignment. That's differentiation. So it's opening my eyes to...
Speaker: the power I already had as an educator and didn't realize I was tapping into. Sometimes I wish this was a video podcast and people, I mean, I'm kind of jokingly, but sometimes I wish people could just like see what I can't put into words because it's that, it's exactly that.
Speaker: ah We can say it until we're blue in the face, but like until you experience it, until you come to your own realization and make your own meaning. It doesn't necessarily feel as realistic, right? As like not one more thing, but yeah but but you hit it. This conversation, I'm loving it.
Speaker: So if people were listening earlier on, you mentioned not only do you teach 11th and 12th graders, but then you slipped in there.
Speaker: Oh yeah, by the way, also teach seventh and eighth graders after school. so you are committed to your community, that's obvious. And and so I'm so curious ah whether it's something that motivates you or like, how do you think about decision-making when you're thinking about all the things that you're involved in from like this afterschool program to your like day-to-day teaching?
Speaker: How do you like figure out where board certification fits in as far as like the work and planning in an already really robust robust schedule? So one thing about being well involved is the relationship that you're able to build with your students.
Speaker: And so I explained to them early on what National Voice was, what I was trying to do with it, um my goals with it, my purpose in pursuing it.
Speaker: And so with that, they have kept me on my toes. They make sure In addition to, you know, Dr. Brown checking in, in addition to people from my cohort checking the kids checking in. It's just, okay, are you making sure you've done this?
Speaker: um When do you want to do this? Just so let us know. We'll make sure we're ready. so As much as I want to say it's me, it's a lot of being, you know, so ingrained and so in tune with the community that everybody wants to see you go and be your best self.
Speaker: I think there is a piece of advice there that maybe not stated explicitly, but I'm going to elevate, which is involve your community, involve your students.
Speaker: um Because your area students will hold you accountable, right? Yes, they will. And sometimes they hold you accountable more so than you can hold yourself accountable. Because they believe in you. They they want to see you achieve. They want to see you be successful. So you're listening and you're like, well, how do i engage community? How do I engage my students? You can start with your students.
Speaker: And it doesn't have to be high schoolers, right? Like i taught kindergarten. I certified in a kindergarten classroom. And my kids held me accountable. Like when I have made lesson plans and I like mentioned, oh yeah, by the way, Ms. Brown's going to record on Tuesday. And if for whatever reason I chose not to, best believe I had a kid say, well, today's Tuesday, where's a camera?
Speaker: And so even if it was for practice, I would put it up because like they became my accountability. If I said we're going record this reading lesson on Tuesday, they expected to see ah camera sitting in the back of the room. And so candidates, encourage them know.
Speaker: Yeah. Involving students. Yeah, definitely. And I think with that too, you get to avoid Because like when we were talking about um my students not really being the the outgoing, can you put us on camera students?
Speaker: It helps you to have those conversations of, okay, this is what I'm trying to do. How can you all help me do it without making you uncomfortable? Okay.
Speaker: And so it kind of shows them, like, I want to do this, but also I care about you you know, being involved in the process. And I want us to work together. And it's like, it's not just me getting it, but it's also you getting it.
Speaker: So that actually, daring brings me to my, like, next framing of questioning. Because... you are teaching in the school that you graduated from, which most likely means you're probably teaching um either siblings or family members or maybe even children of like your classmates, right?
Speaker: Or your you are you could potentially be teaching with teachers you had as a student. And so I'm so curious, how do you envision not only certifying, but like in this moment, going through this process, how is it impacting how you show up in your community, knowing that you have all these ties, knowing that there are so many connections. How does like having this identity as a board certified, like teacher to be on your community and like, where do you see it taking you?
Speaker: So funny that you say that because the first year, my first year here, I taught my cousins. I taught my algebra, advanced algebra trigonometry teacher. She was pregnant with my one of my students that I taught my first year.
Speaker: The I think she got pregnant the year before we graduated. And he was in my seventh grade class my first year here. So it was just full circle. But um some of the teachers when I was here that poured and into me are still teachers that I talk to to this day.
Speaker: um They're shocked that I became a teacher. But oh, and then also the principal that was the principal when I graduated. became my principal when I was a teacher so it's a lot of moving parts to it um my assistant principal at the time she taught me computer applications my seventh seventh grade a year um my algebra teacher is still teaching algebra one still going strong um and so with that I look at them and i remember when I... So the way my school is set up, it's 7th or 12th is high school.
Speaker: Okay. um And so I remember my 7th grade year, I went crazy. Like, I came in and i was potentially going to be the top, like, number one in my class.
Speaker: And I came in and it's like... So the thing about it, sixth grade is still elementary. And so when you go from sixth grade to seventh grade here, yeah. When you go from sixth grade to seventh grade here, there is this out of nowhere, just freedom that you get as a seventh grader.
Speaker: And so i went from being this smart, quiet, um just follow instructions kid to being to
Speaker: one of the troublemakers at the school. And it took the teachers that I still talk to today to really just pour in me and get me to understand, one, the people that you're trying to impress are not going always be your friends later in life.
Speaker: um You're making temporary decisions now that are going to affect you later in life, affect you long run. And so when I think about national boards, when I think about what I give back to my community, I think about those people.
Speaker: Because without those teachers, I would not, not be anywhere close to who I am now. And so...
Speaker: um I've done a lot in like just getting you know degrees and pursuing professional development. And the goal is always to...
Speaker: I'm going to make sure that you're good personally. I'm going to make sure that you're good emotionally. But I'm also wanting to push you academically so that when you leave my classroom, I've made an impact on you to make you.
Speaker: Because now we get a novel we get a lot of kids who, you know, it's post-COVID. And so during COVID, they have gotten so used to that instant, well, I'm home.
Speaker: I can do this on Chad Chippity or I'm home. i can Google this. And so... You're battling that idea of like instant gratification. i don't really have to do this.
Speaker: I can just type it in. And so my goal is to embrace that, but also leave that lasting impact on you of, well, I know I can cheat on this, but I really want to make sure i know what I'm doing.
Speaker: Because high school is high school, but I still have to go beyond this. And when I go beyond this, I want to make sure I'm prepared for what comes my way. That's my goal.
Speaker: I feel like I should go back to high school so I can have Mr. Booker as a teacher.
Speaker: My goodness. And I also hope that you have the opportunity sir when this airs, to share this with those teachers who impacted you. um I'm sure you've already said you're in communication with them, but I just think it'd be so nice for them to be able to hear.
Speaker: you know, your your journey, your trajectory. and And I'm still kind of just in shock of seventh grade is high school. like it Trust me. it's us It's a big, and even now, we're still struggling with trying to figure out how to deal with it. ah Excuse me.
Speaker: Because in sixth grade, I found out a few years ago, they're still going to recess. And so they're going to recess. They have ah four classes.
Speaker: And then you go from that instantly to high school. There's no recess. There's no downtime. You have seven classes. You're involved in sports. You're in choir.
Speaker: It's a lot to handle. And no one has prepared you for this. Yeah. So no wonder students may choose to exhibit some behaviors. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean...
Speaker: Whoa, okay. Well, we're here to talk about not only your journey through education, but obviously um your journey through the process. And so I'm curious, we haven't even like laid out one, let's talk about what's your cert area. Two, have you submitted any components and or what are you working on now?
Speaker: And then we can talk about some next. right So um my certification area is actually early English language arts, early adolescence.
Speaker: okay And so I've been bounced around a lot. When I started the process, I was in seventh and eighth grade. I spent, I think, three years in seventh and eighth grade. And then um I got moved, but I'm still able to.
Speaker: With the things that I do, still work with seventh and eighth graders to pursue that certification. um in my This is my third year you know in my journey. In my first year, submitted component one.
Speaker: In my second year, I submitted component two. um So I'm working to submit three and four. Three still terrifies me, but I'm working to submit three and four.
Speaker: And I've also put ah fire under myself to try to resubmit component two as well, just with knowing more about, I know, just with knowing more about what it takes.
Speaker: um But now one thing I can say but Once you submit it and you kind of know what they expect, i found myself, as I'm giving assignments, saying, oh, I did this. Let me go ahead and push this to the side because this will be a good thing to use for my resubmission.
Speaker: And so... I will say when you first get into it, it's really a lot. But once you have know gone in studied your components, once you have looked at your standards, as you are planning, you're really in the mindset of, okay, this is going to be good for component two. This is going to be good for component three.
Speaker: And so even though I'm terrified of component three, I already know, okay, this is the activity I want to do for my whole group. This is what I want to do for my...
Speaker: um small group and it's it's pushing me to be so creative like one of the things that I want to do for um component two is I want to take it's because it's a woman's history month so I want to do an assignment around that and have kids watch the film I think it's called the six triple eight By Tyler Perry.
Speaker: So good. yeah Amazing, amazing film. 8666. 8666. So I want to have the kids um watch that and then um do some things with you know, how women, not not just women, but African-American women, have played a role in society, and sometimes their role can be downplayed. So anything with that.
Speaker: And so that's going to be my media response, but also I'm going to give them different ways so they can submit it. So that's something that a few years ago I never thought to do.
Speaker: And so, yes, this is a grueling process. Yes, sometimes... You know, you second guess yourself, but it really opens you up and opens your mind up to doing more creative things.
Speaker: That's not just, okay, I need this content, but it's let me infuse you on what's really going on in the world. Let's talk about some topics that reflect who you are as a person.
Speaker: Let's talk about people who look just like you and things that they've done and things that you can do.
Speaker: I think, again, speechless. There's so many things I want to respond to, but what I'm going to respond to is your comment around how going through this process has made you more creative. Because I don't think people necessarily will put board certification and creativity in the same bucket, right? People hear, oh, writing. They hear lots of planning, lots of reading.
Speaker: And that for many people is the opposite of creativity. But i love, and I wholeheartedly agree with you, that it does open you up to creativity and to try new things and to taking risk.
Speaker: And you're doing it with intention, right? You're not just like throwing things at the wall and hoping it sticks. You're taking risk and you're being creative because it's you now know and embody that an accomplished teacher does X, Y, and Z, right? They get to know their students deeply. They understand their community.
Speaker: They bring in world-world experiences. And in that is where you build that creativity. So my goodness, I'm so excited for your students. And I was also sitting here thinking, not only is it so dynamic from the perspective of you know um this this platoon of African-American women,
Speaker: But the role that they played in the war is based in literacy, right? Their role was to get letters out. And so like even how you can can tie that to the literacy work that you're doing, right? So not only is it these wonderful Black leaders, but...
Speaker: situated in literacy from either what they were capable of and slash the work that they were sent to do, which is in like getting these letters out. but With everything, and I talk about this so much, with everything that's going on, I really, above everything, just want kids to understand how important education is, how important it is to be able to leave high school and know, you know, my my teachers really, they really taught me, they really prepared me.
Speaker: And I think a lot of times, because I know as a kid, I was not thinking about that at all. I was not. I was just ready to get out of here. But I really... want kids to understand just how important it is what they're doing now and how much it's going to play into their lives when they become adults.
Speaker: So true. That is so true. Okay. Obviously I can sit here and talk to you forever in a day, but also when I like extend some grace and like provide you time back in your personal life. So as we close out this conversation, my dear, and I'm curious, I mean, you've been dropping gems left and right, and I've been trying to pick them up as I've come.
Speaker: But as we close, is there like a piece of advice you would give to someone who might be in the space of like, okay, I'm hearing about this process. I know what's a quote unquote a lot I don't even know where to start, what to do. Maybe I'll just like not even go through it. So like one advice for someone who might be considering board certification and then maybe a piece of advice for someone who's in it.
Speaker: um We know submission is right around the corner. Oftentimes this is a place and space where people are like, either I'm gonna do it or I'm not, right? Like whether they're gonna commit to submitting. So that's kind of like a two-parter.
Speaker: What advice would you give to someone who heard that it's a lot, but think it might be for them, but like kind of on the fence. And then what advice would you give to someone who's like in the thick of it,
Speaker: and just like needs that like one piece of ah your wisdom to keep it going. Okay. No pressure. So someone who um someone who is thinking about doing it, um I would suggest that they actually go to the National Board's website.
Speaker: Go to the National Board's website, explore, look at the standards, um if you kind of have an idea of what you want to certify in, I would pull those components and I would study them to see, you know, what is it that I have to do to certify? And I think with that, for a lot of people, it'll be, oh, this is this is all I have to do? Like, this is easy.
Speaker: um Because again, it's things that we do every single day. I think the most challenging part of national boards is you're writing in a way that's different from what you're used to writing. Especially as an English teacher, it's hard to it's hard to change your writing and then also keep to a page limit.
Speaker: a And then for someone who is in the midst of the process, we're getting to the finish line and you're trying to figure out, you know, what am I going to do?
Speaker: um I listened to this podcast, and it's called Teachings to the Top. And something that they talked about was the idea of having glass balls and plastic balls.
Speaker: um And, you know, we're always juggling. As teachers, we juggle a lot. We have personal life. We have responsibilities at work. um Some of us have second jobs. And so... The idea is that in that you have things that you're juggling that if it's a rubber ball, you can drop it.
Speaker: It comes right back up. But then you'll have things that if they are extremely important, they're considered glass balls. And if you drop it you know, it breaks and it's kind of hard to fix it.
Speaker: And so when I think about everything that I have to do for national boards and everything I have going on, I really have begun to think about, okay, what is it that I can drop and then pick back up and finish later? And what is it that I really have to make sure that I do? And so with that, it's a lot of no's.
Speaker: It's a lot of, okay, can't do this today, but I can do this ah another day. It's a lot of, okay, if you sit down and just start, you can be halfway finished before you even think about it.
Speaker: And so... Well... Yeah, so it's it's the glass balls and it's the rubber balls, but it's also... I'm a procrastinator. I'm a procrastinator and I'm a perfectionist. And so I don't. wo That's a dynamic. Right.
Speaker: I don't want to start on something unless I absolutely know when I sit down, everything is perfectly ready for me to do it. And a lot of times you just have to do it. Just start.
Speaker: And once you start, this just starts flowing. And before you know it, you've written way more than you could have ever anticipated.
Speaker: All right, y'all. Y'all heard it here. You've heard it from someone who's currently in the process. And I think you can hear and feel the transparency and authenticity that MyDarian brings to this process.
Speaker: And now i I feel personally like I need to go make a list of like glass and rubber balls for everything in my world, like personal life, professional life, because like that's such a beautiful image of like what's reality, right? Like I can't juggle all the things.
Speaker: And some things are really rubber. And as a fellow procrastinator, like it's nice know that I have a few rubber balls and then I can focus my focus time on my glass ones. So I am so excited for you. I want to pour into you and let you know that you have this.
Speaker: Component three is not as fear-inducing as it might feel right now. Set up the camera and let it go. Just like let it go. Let it go. Capture all the things. there's never There's never saint there's ever the idea that you've captured too much and you'll find what you need in the time that you capture.
Speaker: So we're rooting you on. We're so excited for you. And this has been such a wonderful conversation. Thank you so much. You all have a great day.
