Kathy Godley Clark, a business teacher, at Southside High School, recently earned her National Board Certification in early adolescence through young adulthood/career and technical education.

National Board Certification is an advanced teaching credential that requires teachers to complete ten assessments and to use reflective thinking to improve their teaching skills. The certification focuses on five standards that teachers should incorporate into their teaching. Those standards are that teachers are committed to students and their learning; teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students; teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning; teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience; and teachers are members of learning communities.

Clark, Southside’s teacher of the year, was awarded the Collaboration in Teaching Award by Microsoft this past summer. A graduate of East Carolina University, she has more than 20 years of teaching experience.