NASELLE – “It was like winning the lottery, only I know I earned this,” Naselle Youth Camp School teacher Rudy Rudolph said when he learned he had successfully completed the requirements to achieve National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Certification.

“This was a logical career step and a chance to re-invigorate my teaching efforts, a time for self-reflection and a time to improve,” Rudolph explained about his decision to become NBPTS certified. Rudolph has taught a total of 20 years, the last 15 in the Naselle-Grays River District and he currently teaches classes in aquaculture, horticulture, algebra, computer science, mathematics and sign shop at the Naselle Youth Camp School.

“The first year I concentrated on the required writing projects and I videotaped some of my teaching and then the past six months I spent two hours every day and most of my weekends studying for six tests,” Rudolph said. The calculus exam was one of the most challenging, but Rudolph related, “Writing the paper about how I relate to parents of students was the most difficult to do since at NYC we don’t deal with (the residents’) parents. I had to work extra hard on the other papers to make up for this.”

Rudolph grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Groton Dunstable High School in 1982. He earned his bachelor’s degree from University of Massachusetts in 1987 and master’s degrees from Portland State and City universities. He taught one year in the Boston area and after meeting his wife, Cathy Peterson, moved to Oregon where he taught at Sheridan and Neah-Kah-Nie. He spent one year at Ilwaco before going to the Naselle district.

Peterson is an education partner at Fort Clatsop National Park. They have a son Ben, who is 14, and daughter Jenna, who is 10. Both attend school in Astoria. “Being a parent has made me a much better teacher,” Rudolph explained. “I can better understand the students and their needs. Of course studying for the national board meant that I couldn’t spend as much time with my family as I would have liked. We are all pretty happy that I passed.”

Rudolph related, “I think National Board Certification is a worthwhile endeavor and something every teacher should have as a possible goal. It has helped me become more of a leader in our district and has helped me be a better leader in my classroom.” He is active in the teachers’ union, in developing technology curriculum at Naselle, is on the Astoria soccer board, and also on the Astoria flood control board.

“I am grateful for the help of Tim Kopp, who is also board certified, for the financial support of the Naselle School District and for (former) Superintendent Alan Bennett’s support, as well. I will be encouraging other teachers to become certified in the future,” Rudolph states. At least two other teachers in the Naselle District are pursuing board certification. Michele “Miki” Frace, Kelly Jacobsen, Charlotte Kelly and Shawn Stern are certified from the Ocean Beach School District.

Washington ranks third in the number of new teachers completing the program and eighth overall with 2,717 teachers passing the NBPTS, which is 5.3 percent of all educators in the state. A total of 73,485 teachers have met NBPTS standards nationwide since the program began in 1987.

NYC School Principal Lisa Nelson said, “Mr. Rudolph has worked long and hard to become certified. He was very committed to the project and is deserving of the honor. To have two of our seven full-time teachers here board certified is quite an accomplishment.”

According to the www.nbpts.org Web site the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards improves teaching and student learning. Certified teachers are highly accomplished educators who meet high and rigorous standards. Like board certified doctors and accountants, teachers who achieve National Board Certification have met rigorous standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment and peer review.

NBPTS offers 25 certificates that cover a variety of subject areas and student developmental levels. In a congressionally-mandated study, National Board Certification was recently recognized by the National Research Council as having a positive impact on student achievement, teacher retention, and professional development.