Professional certification: I had a dream.(music teacher certification)

I had a dream, and my dream was to become a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music. That wasn't always my dream. When I was in high school I dreamed about earning B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in music and becoming a teacher, conductor and composer. I did become a teacher, and I did earn those B.S. and M.S. degrees, but when I was in high school I didn't realize that most of my career would be spent teaching privately.

As a public school teacher, I met the qualifications to become certified by the state of Connecticut. People knew right away that I was qualified. Teaching privately was a bit trickier. How would people really know that I was more qualified than the next person?

I am a big believer in joining professional organizations; I was already a member of MENC. I was happy to join MTNA in 1989, when I thought I would not teach in public school again. By 1992, I began to think about becoming a nationally certified teacher of music. My dream was deferred when I returned to the classroom for a year.

In 1999, I became active on the board of our local chapter. Dreams of certification returned. Just when I got up the nerve to begin this process, MTNA began to redesign the certification process. When the redesign was complete, I was our chapter president and had no time to act, but plenty of time to dream.

Once my term of office was up in 2006, I began to tell people that I was going to become certified. Talking about certification forced me to follow through. I was lucky to have many people mentor me through the process. I took almost a year to read over the process and figure out what I had to do and set up a timetable for myself. My husband and son were very supportive.

The process is actually easy. Once I submitted my application, I began step 1, which is validating my professional preparation. All that academic course work paid off because my transcripts revealed that I was quite proficient in music history, music theory and performance. Even after all those years, my two colleges were quick to send MTNA my transcripts. Next came three letters of recommendation and proving that I had two years of teaching experience. I couldn't believe how quickly it all happened. I was then ready for step 2, validation and fulfillment of Standards II-IV. Those standards are Professional Teaching Practices, Professional Business Management and Professional Partnerships. I chose to take the certification exam, although I did have the option of doing a portfolio.

Studying for the exam really gave focus to my teaching. I ...