10 Minutes with Teaching Ambassador Fellow Pam Smith

Pam is an NBCT from Niceville, Fla., and one of the Teaching Ambassador Fellows this year at the U.S. Department of Education. Pam will teach this year from Florida while working as a Teaching Ambassador Fellow on a part-time basis.

How many years have you been teaching?

Over the past 23 years, I’ve taught gifted students, language arts and social studies, as well as high school English. I’ve also taught college English.

What are the top three reasons to love going back to school in the fall?

I get excited about making contact with my students for the first time. Second, I love looking at the course material again. Finally, I like to figure out what innovative things I can do to reach my students.

You currently teach English at Florida Virtual School Okaloosa Online. What is a virtual school?

In Florida, a lot of counties have a publicly funded franchise of Florida Virtual School-middle and high schools. Some students take online classes at home, some at school. Online courses provide a way for students to finish their education. They get credit recovery, travel, plus they can still do their outside activities. When I first started I was a little skeptical, but I wanted to try it. I liked the idea of the flexibility and doing something different, something new. Now, I really enjoy it. You’re able to work towards mastery, and they can apply your feedback.

Why is the Teaching Ambassador Fellowship a good opportunity for teachers?

The interaction with people at the Department of Education is invaluable—so is hearing about policy and becoming a small part of the process. This fellowship is about being able to work with other teachers who have sought this opportunity and have high expectations and standards, and different experiences to bring to the fellowship—you can’t beat that. It provides a framework to participate in self-evaluation and some self-extension, to move outside of your comfort zone.

What issues are you passionate about?

Discussing National Board Certification is important, holocaust and genocide education, online education and rural education. Those are my four major areas of interest.

Did you know that half of the fellows are NBCTs?

Yes. I think that says a lot about the National Board process. It was an opportunity on journey to improve myself professionally and personally. Now, I always look for opportunities.

How do you come up with new ways to teach?

A lot of my ideas come from listening to other teachers, and I take workshops. I do research on the Internet. I continue to be a learner and that helps me to find new ways.

Why do you think it is important that National Board Certified Teachers become involved in educational policy?

The National Board Certification process has a valid reliable framework for evaluation. That seems to be a shortfall of education. We don’t know how to evaluate teachers. The National Board Certification process has a valid reliable process in place. NBCTs should be a group of recognized stakeholders in policy. I think just as a continuation of professional development. There are components of National Board Certification that could be held up as a best practice or included in policy suggestions. The Department of Education is interested in the best practices. I believe that they are open, they want to know, to understand and to promote and include the best teaching practices. I hope they’ll incorporate National Board Certification.

What is the best moment you’ve had as a teacher?

I think it was the first time I had a student come back to see me long after they ceased being my student. It was like everything came together. It meant someone saw me the same way I saw my old teachers. That was a moment of gratification for me.