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March 2020 was a month where teachers across the nation were forced to completely reevaluate their teaching methods in an effort to transition into an online learning platform due to the COVID-19  pandemic.

During this already challenging time, Harlan High School teacher Rebecca Wynn took on the rigorous task of becoming a National Board Certified Teacher.

National Board Certification is a 1- to 3-year program in which four components of teaching mastery must be demonstrated in order to achieve certification: Content Knowledge; Differentiation in Instruction; Teaching Practice and Learning Environment; Effective and Reflective Practitioner.

According to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, “teachers demonstrate that their teaching meets the profession’s standards for accomplished practice through a rigorous, peer-reviewed and performance-based process […] In achieving Board certification, teachers prove their ability to advance student learning and achievement.”

Wynn successfully completed all four components within a single year.

“It was the most challenging process I have ever gone through, but the knowledge I have gained is invaluable and more meaningful than I could have ever imagined,” she said.

Wynn said she would recommend this program to any teacher seeking to enhance his or her teaching practice and credits her achievement as a National Board Certified Teacher as “a product of my desire to meet the needs of my students, my dedication to the community, and the outpouring of support I have received from my colleagues at Harlan High School.”

Superintendent C.D. Morton noted that Wynn’s strength as a teacher is rooted in her desire to master her craft and her ability to connect with students.

“Mrs. Wynn has shown tremendous growth as a teacher over the past five years. She is the total package when it comes to mastering her content and effectively connecting with students,” Morton said. “Completing the rigorous work of National Board Certification is a remarkable accomplishment. It sends a clear message that she is serious about her profession and strives to be the best for her students. ”

The Kentucky Department of Education reports that 4,007 of Kentucky teachers were National Board Certified Teachers, in 2019.

As the 2020 reports emerge, Wynn will join the ranks of three other teachers in the Harlan Independent School District: Sunshine Preschool teacher Jennifer Brock; Harlan Elementary teacher Barb Ledford; and HHS teacher Kevin Ball, have all received the National Board Certification.

Wynn’s National Board Certification is English Language Arts – Adolescent and Young Adult.