Five Educators Receive National Board Certification

Published January 11, 2018

Five Williamson County Schools educators have earned the honor of being nationally board-certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

“Tackling the National Boards Certification was one of my greatest challenges in my educational process, and it required diligence, reflection and digging deeper in every aspect of my counseling,” said Allendale Elementary guidance counselor Suzanne Edwards.

Edwards, Independence High fine arts department head Jennifer Helm, Independence High science teacher Andrea Reeder, Centennial High AP English teacher Susanna Singleton and Brentwood High fine arts and wellness teacher Lindsey Quitmeier join 5,470 other newly-certified educators around the country.

“I’m constantly looking for ways to develop my skills and learn new methods to engage students,” said Reeder. “I could not have achieved the certification without the support of my family and INDY nation.”

Becoming a National Board Certified Teacher is considered one of the top honors an educator can earn. It was designed to develop, retain and recognize accomplished teachers in schools across the nation.

“Achieving National Board Certification is a great sense of accomplishment,” Singleton said. “The process truly helped me to be a reflective practitioner and see how I have grown as an educator through my eleven years of teaching.”

The application process is a difficult one, but it pushed Helm to look at her priorities as a teacher. It was all worth it in the end.

“It was a challenging journey, and I feel very honored to be recognized for my work,” said Helm.

The board was created by teachers, for teachers, and has certified more than 118,000 teachers nationwide.

“I hope this accomplishment reflects my love of teaching and commitment to my students,” said Quitmeier. “This is reflective of all of the hard work teachers across the state do to provide the best for our students.”