Warning. Pure ventage ahead. Potentially little to no intellectual value.
I cannot believe how long each little part of my National Board portfolio takes.
I finished Entry 4 today (Professional Accomplishments) except for one verification form, but I swear it took me at least four to five hours total just to screen-shot, scan, format, label, print, put in order, etc., all the documentation for the five accomplishments, plus chasing down people to sign verification forms. Thank goodness I ran into my old student teacher at Ike's one day. That time does not even include the three dozen or so hours (at least) I spent evaluating, planning and writing up my description and analysis and reflection on each accomplishment (at least two accomplishments I had written about got completely chopped out.) This is one of those tasks where, by the time you're done with it, you actually know what you're doing, but then it's done.
Now I'm working on Entry 2. I've already spent two hours today alone editing my written commentary for conciseness, trying to get 14 pages down to about 10 so I can add more reflection and end up with 11. I probably spent two hours last week writing and then paring down my descriptions of my instructional materials for this entry to get them onto one page. Then I go to double check the formatting and find a post-it I wrote MONTHS ago, and a small footnote on the cover sheet that says I get a page PER ITEM to describe the materials and relate them to the video. BLARGHY!
By the time I get to the reflective writing, I feel incapable. I mean, I have plenty to say (always) but is it the most intelligent distillation of all I have learned about teaching by analyzing my practice? Hmm. I can't guarantee that. I have a feeling that if there is extra time at the end, I'll be pulling out all my reflections on each entry and rewriting them. But at this rate, I've just got to capture whatever intelligence might be lurking in my 1" margin-Times-New-Roman-size-12-font-page-numbered-candidate-numbered consciousness and get it into the right page length. And hope there is a tiny bit of time to regroup at the very end.
I cannot believe how long each little part of my National Board portfolio takes.
I finished Entry 4 today (Professional Accomplishments) except for one verification form, but I swear it took me at least four to five hours total just to screen-shot, scan, format, label, print, put in order, etc., all the documentation for the five accomplishments, plus chasing down people to sign verification forms. Thank goodness I ran into my old student teacher at Ike's one day. That time does not even include the three dozen or so hours (at least) I spent evaluating, planning and writing up my description and analysis and reflection on each accomplishment (at least two accomplishments I had written about got completely chopped out.) This is one of those tasks where, by the time you're done with it, you actually know what you're doing, but then it's done.
Now I'm working on Entry 2. I've already spent two hours today alone editing my written commentary for conciseness, trying to get 14 pages down to about 10 so I can add more reflection and end up with 11. I probably spent two hours last week writing and then paring down my descriptions of my instructional materials for this entry to get them onto one page. Then I go to double check the formatting and find a post-it I wrote MONTHS ago, and a small footnote on the cover sheet that says I get a page PER ITEM to describe the materials and relate them to the video. BLARGHY!
By the time I get to the reflective writing, I feel incapable. I mean, I have plenty to say (always) but is it the most intelligent distillation of all I have learned about teaching by analyzing my practice? Hmm. I can't guarantee that. I have a feeling that if there is extra time at the end, I'll be pulling out all my reflections on each entry and rewriting them. But at this rate, I've just got to capture whatever intelligence might be lurking in my 1" margin-Times-New-Roman-size-12-font-page-numbered-candidate-numbered consciousness and get it into the right page length. And hope there is a tiny bit of time to regroup at the very end.
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