increased stipend equals increased National Board enrollment

As I've noted elsewhere, $5,000 certainly sweetens the prospect of enduring an extra 200-400 hours of work in the National Board certification program. Turns out there are a lot of other Washington teachers (blog title!) like me:

Teachers pay $2,500 to go through the certification process, a yearlong evaluation that measures their teaching skills against national standards.

In Washington, $1,250 scholarships are available. By the May 15 scholarship deadline, more than 1,200 teachers had applied — up from 500 who apply in a typical year, state officials said.

Last Saturday I attended the orientation for PLU's Professional Development program, which helps teachers work through the process, and am starting to assemble documentation of my work as a professional in a learning community.

They'd better count blogging.