National Board Certification From Adrienne Mack, a teacher at Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, California: "Here are suggestions to prepare yourself for the National Board Certification challenge:1. Begin documenting all of your professional activities. If you aren't involved in your professional communit, get involved. Attend workshps, form study groups, lead discussion groups, share lessons. Document the who, what, when, and where and importance of your contacts. If you're on the agenda, keep a copy for your records. Keep certificates or awards you receive for your professional work outside the classroom.2. Do all of the above for your community and family outreach. What do you do to get families involved in their children's education? Document it. Keep a phone log of contacts with parents and the community. For both entries you'll be able to document for five years including hte year in which your work on your certificate--so start now.3. Read. Read. Read. Acquaint yourself with the latest in learning theory, education reform, what's happening in classrooms across the ocutnry, what's happening in your school. Teaching is a profession. To be professionals we must update our knowledge constantly.4. Request a sample portfolio from the national board. It's $25 well spent. Call 1-800-22TEACH.5. Get involved with a study group of equally committed teachers. UCLA has the first such group in the nation officialy affiliated with a university. Consult your loca university's department of education. If they don't already have plans to form a study group, ask if you could help get one started. They may contact UCLA Center X to learn what we've been doing. This is a very time-consuming process (150-200 hours over the year). You have a better chance to be successful if you have a group to work with. You'll shore up one another when you're feeling overwhelmed."