Mahan Earns Highest Credential in Teaching Profession

by Rose Fisher for the Altus Times, featured on January 30, 2006

Brenda Mahan’s second graders in Blair Public Schools are reaping the benefits of her 23 years of teaching experience; and now she is too. Mahan has earned a National Board Certification, the highest credential in the teaching profession.

According to State Department of Education statistics, Mahan is among 212 Oklahoma educators who received National Board Certification in 2005. Blair Public Schools has one other teacher who previously received this distinction, Kindergarten instructor Roberta Graves.

To achieve National Board Certification, Mahan delved into past and present research on the best methods of teaching early childhood students. “We’re in an exiting time in education. We have about 30 years of educational research to draw on for the best teaching practices,” Mahan said. “I wanted to prove myself; I wanted to find out if I was actually using the best strategies and practices to meet my students' needs.”

Drawing on her classroom practices, Mahan prepared and submitted papers in the subject areas of literacy, math, science and social studies, detailing her classroom practices and results. The board's peer reviewers had to approve all four papers for Mahan to be certified.

"In literacy, I chose two students and analyzed their learning -- where they were developmentally at the beginning of the year, what strategies I had used to meet their needs, how I had implemented those strategies and what results were achieved," Mahan explained. "The process also required me to reflect on those results in order to plan future instruction."

"In pursuing the National Board Certification, I fine-tuned my teaching; it was a great process. It gave me the opportunity to thoughtfully choose and implement research-based practices; and I know it has really benefited my kids."

A glance around Mahan's very active classroom, in the elementary school annex, reveals various activity centers, including computer stations, an inviting library corner with a rocking chair, seats arranged in four- to five-desk clusters throughout the room and brightly colored word displays emphasizing vowels, homonyms and other elements used in teaching reading.

During most of the day, students rotate in three groups from the centers to reading groups to the desks. "Early childhood research has prove that it's not developmentally appropriate for second graders to remain in the seats all day," Mahan said. "They need a variety of activities and settings in order to be fully engaged learners throughout the school day."

The Rev. James Mahan, Brenda Mahan's father, reads stories to the children weekly. Her mother, Shirley Mahan, visits the classroom regularly to listen to individual students read. "It would be great if more people would volunteer in the schools; it's helpful for both of the teachers and students," Shirley Mahan said.

Mahan graduated from Altus High School in 1975. She earned a bachelor's degree in social studies at Cameron University in 1980 and a master's degree in education at Southwestern Oklahoma State College in 1986. As a single mother, Mahan originally selected education because it worked well with family life.

For Mahan, her efforts on Nation Board Certification validated that she "was doing some things right" and that by continuing her own education, she could improve her teaching and better meet the needs of her students.

The voluntary National Board Certified Teacher program is governed by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. The mission is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by maintaining high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. The certification is a symbol of commitment to excellence in teaching.

Studies conducted by the Urban Institute and the University of Washington have shown measurable differences for students with board-certified teachers. Overall, students improved an average of seven-percent more on year-end math and reading rests than students whose teachers attempted but failed to earn certification. Gains in reading for low-income students were fifteen-percent higher with board-certified teachers.

The state of Oklahoma provides scholarships to cover $2,300 certification fee and pays board certified teachers a $5,000 annual bonus for up to 10 years; however, teachers may reapply and continue to receive the bonus.