It's the teaching profession's highest distinction, so tough that only 16,000 of America's 3 million teachers--less than 1%--have qualified. Half of those who apply for the honor fail.
That's why it's stunning that seven of the newest nationally certified teachers come from three Los Angeles-area families.
On the Eastside, it's a mother, daughter and son-in-law. In the Valley, it's a mother-son pair and a husband-wife team.
After 10 months of working weekends and pulling all-nighters to evaluate and refine their classroom practices, they were certified by panels of experts from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. An additional 228 Los Angeles Unified School District teachers also qualified.
"It was a miracle that we three passed together," said Virginia Mullen of Sheridan Elementary in Boyle Heights, who earned the certification with her daughter and son-in-law. "We all had tears in our eyes."
The rare honor also brings considerable financial benefits. Although dozens of states provide incentives for teachers to become certified, California offers some of the richest rewards.
Teachers here receive a $10,000 bonus and $20,000 over four years if they work in low-performing schools--all state money. In the Los Angeles district, certified teachers also get a 15% pay hike and are expected to serve as mentors in their schools.
Mullen, 57, expects to receive about $22,000 this year. She plans to apply her money toward retirement.
Her daughter, Kim Gero, and son-in-law, Greg, will get almost that much. The couple plan to save the funds so one of them can take a leave when they have children.
The three teachers are ecstatic about the money, but they're equally thrilled with the insight gained from their yearlong self-evaluation.
"I feel like I've learned so many things that can make me a better teacher, and I'm excited by that," said Greg Gero, 29, who teaches second and third grade at El Sereno Elementary in Northeast L.A. "I feel like I'm more of a professional now."
The new knowledge has given the three new confidence in their abilities and their instincts. And that has put them at odds, at times, with some of L.A. Unified's rigid reading and math reforms, which call for all elementary school teachers to cover the same skills in essentially the same way.
Gero and his relatives say they veer from the script at times to meet the needs of their students who are still learning English. They do it, they say, because they've seen other ways of teaching.
