NTL Reflections 2025 Char-Li’ Ali
Mirrors, Windows, and the Journey to Excellence: Why I Became a National Board Certified Teacher
About Me
My name is Char-Li’ Ali, and this past December, I reached a milestone I once thought too daunting for me: I became a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) in Literacy. I am a 6th year educator teaching 5th and 6th grade Social Science and Literacy to Black students at Robert A. Black Magnet School on the South Side of Chicago. My National Board journey was about more than just improving my teaching, advancing my students’ learning, and earning this advanced credential – it was about honoring my students and our community.
I love being a Social Studies/Literacy teacher because history is a vital tool for navigation, especially in a climate where truth is so often contested. Pursuing my National Board Certification (NBC) in Literacy enabled me to strengthen this work. During my Board-Certification cohort participation in the Nurturing Teacher Leadership (NTL) program, I learned that historical inquiry is inseparable from literacy, as students must decode complex primary sources and craft their own narratives not just to learn the content but also to claim their place in history. The NBC process fostered my belief that children deserve to be included in the readings, writings, studies, and discussions that affect their lives, and my ensuring that they receive an honest, factual account of our shared past is imperative to everyone’s future. While I always valued student voice, NTL challenged me to move beyond standard texts; for example, I began teaching my students to “read” local monuments as texts and how to interrogate the narratives they present. By questioning whose stories are etched in stone and whose stories are left in the margins, my students found the language to advocate for their own histories and insert their voices into the national narrative. Inserting their voices meant more than simply sharing opinions; it meant grounding their perspectives in research, connecting family and community histories to larger historical movements, and recognizing themselves as stakeholders in how history is told. It meant understanding that they are not passive recipients of history, but active participants in shaping collective memory.
Being a Black teacher for Black students has always been important for me. I believe in the power of “mirrors and windows.” Black students deserve to see excellence reflected not just in their textbooks and curricular materials (such as the CPS Skyline curriculum I am required to teach), but in the teachers and leaders standing before them who advocate for both their genius and their needs and push them toward their highest potential. Yet, during these past two years while pursuing NBC, I realized that to truly advance my students’ competencies, I needed to sharpen my own professional practice to the highest standard. The National Board process provided the analytical framework I needed to turn my passion for advocacy into proven pedagogical excellence. I wanted to show my students and their families that their teacher, someone who looks like them and teaches in their community, is committed to being the very best in the profession by pursuing National Board Certification. And so, I did!
The NTL Difference: Support Beyond the Page
When I decided to pursue National Board Certification, I knew I’d need a professional village to get through it. Not only had I received recommendations from colleagues who went through the program, but I recognized that my own classroom reflections could only take me so far without critical, expert eyes and a cohort of like-minded colleagues to push my self-analysis deeper so as to lead to my improved practice. Nurturing Teacher Leadership had the collective support which was the village that made the NBC finish line reachable for me. The program is rigorous and balancing full-time teaching with the demands of NTL has been one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, choices in my life. Between virtual Thursday and monthly in-person Saturday sessions, the workload is intense, but never in solitary. The bond of our cohort became a lifeline we used to hold each other up. Having mentors who didn’t just critique my work but truly encouraged my spirit kept me grounded. We weren’t just checking boxes to get a certificate; we were a community of educators striving to elevate our craft for the benefit of Chicago’s youth.
NTL provided a structure that turned a demanding process into a manageable one. My mentors weren’t just “professors”; they were guides who walked alongside me. For instance, during the grueling process of filming, examining, and improving my lessons for the Effective and Reflective Practitioner Component of my portfolio, we closely reviewed footage from a lesson centered on Malala’s Magic Pencil and a timeline of Malala Yousafzai’s life from the Nobel Peace Center. The purpose of the lesson was for students to identify and address a social cause meaningful to them: hunger, gun violence, access to clean water, gender equity, cyberbullying, or animal rights, for example, and design a grassroots awareness project demonstrating how tools like social media could raise awareness and inspire change. While my lesson was thoughtfully structured with independent research on computer programs, graphic organizers to capture thinking, and a culminating gallery walk, the video of my teaching revealed a pattern in my practice I had not recognized. During gallery walk discussions with my students, my cohort noticed that I was positioning myself as the primary respondent; I circulated among student partnerships and frequently stepped in to clarify students’ explanations, restate their ideas, or extend their thinking with additional questions. Although my intentions were to deepen analysis, and I thought I had been doing that, my mentors made clear to me that my presence often shortened peer-to-peer exchange. Through this NTL viewing and cohort critique technique, I realized that my students were directing their comments to me rather than to one another, and their conversations about how social media could influence change sometimes stalled after my intervention. To help me improve this practice, my mentors helped me see that productive student discourse required intentional restraint on my part. They recommended restructuring the gallery walk using a Socratic Seminar framework with clearly defined discussion roles, student-generated questions, and accountable ‘talk stems’ so that students, not me, the teacher, sustained the dialogue. In this model, which I used the very next day, my role shifted to silent observer and note-taker, which enabled my students to question, challenge, and build on one another’s ideas independently. After revising how I taught this lesson, the shift was tangible. During discussions about how a hashtag campaign might raise awareness to end gun violence or how TikTok videos could combat cyberbullying, my students cited their independent research, referenced Malala’s advocacy as a model, and asked one another clarifying questions such as, “How would your post reach people outside our community?” and “What action are you asking followers to take beyond liking the post?” Rather than seeking my affirmation, my students turned to their peers to refine their ideas. The original concern my mentors identified – my over-direction of discussion – was replaced by student-driven dialogue grounded in research, empathy, and civic purpose. And my lesson was a success!
My NTL mentors really prepared me for every step of my NBC portfolio creation and submission, often providing clarity to help me align the written reflections of my teaching, and data analysis of my students’ learning, with specific National Board Standards, ensuring that every claim I made about student growth based on my practice was backed by clear and accurate evidence. They taught me to look at students’ pre-assessment and post-assessment writings side-by-side to pinpoint growth and areas in need of improvement for both my students and myself. Because of that new knowledge, I was able to demonstrate how a student who initially struggled to define “symbol” was eventually able to write a well-developed paragraph explaining how the cyclical nature of the harvest seasons symbolized Esperanza’s emotional resilience and renewal after trauma in the text Esperanza Rising. Instead of just saying a student “improved,” I was able to demonstrate growth aligned to grade-level literacy standards, specifically the ability to analyze how particular elements of a story develop theme and how to support claims with relevant textual evidence. My mentors taught me that earning National Board Certification requires not only effective teaching, but the disciplined analysis of how and why students grow as a result of that teaching.
Taking the Assessment Center exams, 40% of the National Board assessment process, was a hurdle NTL helped me overcome. While my content knowledge was strong, I had always struggled to demonstrate that expertise within the rigid constraints of timed essays and multiple-choice tests. Test anxiety had often undermined my performance. Through NTL’s structured preparation, consisting of simulations, practice questions, research-backed readings, and detailed feedback about my content knowledge, provided by my mentors, I strengthened not only my understanding of literacy frameworks, but also my ability to articulate that knowledge with precision under pressure. Preparing for these four exams through NTL required me to master foundational concepts such as developmental reading theory, text complexity analysis, differentiation for diverse learners, and evidence-based instructional decision-making. By repeatedly practicing how to analyze student scenarios, identify instructional next steps, and justify those decisions using literacy research, I became more disciplined and concise in communicating my expertise. As a result, I entered the testing center with a level of composure and clarity I had never previously experienced in a high-stakes academic setting. Today, I model that same preparation and composure for my students when they encounter demanding assessments; I explicitly teach them how to break down complex prompts, identify what is being asked, organize their thinking before responding, and rely on evidence rather than panic. What once triggered anxiety for me has become an opportunity to demonstrate mastery – both for myself and for my students.
Growth That Reached the Classroom
The impact of NTL didn’t just live in my Portfolio or Assessment Center preparation; it moved directly into my classroom at Robert A. Black. By diving deep into the “science of literacy”, I learned how to make complex historical texts accessible and personally meaningful for my students. This meant explicitly connecting content, vocabulary, and perspective to their lived experiences so they could analyze and respond to texts in ways that mattered to them. For example, when my 6th graders studied ancient civilizations, I guided them to examine social hierarchies not just as abstract structures, but through the lens of power and oppression. By using my perspective-taking exercises, students annotated primary source excerpts to identify whose voices were recorded, whose were marginalized, and how those power dynamics shaped historical events. One student reflected in her writing, “I never thought about how the laws of a society could help some people and hurt others, but now I see how my own choices affect people around me,” demonstrating that she was connecting historical analysis to her personal understanding of fairness and leadership. Similarly, with my 5th graders studying colonization in America, I scaffolded academic vocabulary terms like “colonizer,” “indigenous sovereignty,” and “systemic erasure” while modeling how to trace bias in primary sources. My students were then able to use graphic organizers to compare colonists’ accounts with indigenous perspectives, and then participate in structured debates that required them to cite textual evidence. By the end of the unit, my students had learned to write analytical paragraphs comparing the power structures in colonial settlements to power dynamics they observed in their communities today, showing concrete growth in both historical understanding and literacy skills. This transformation is a direct result of the professional development I received through NTL. I learned to explicitly teach Tier 3 subject-specific vocabulary, guide close reading strategies, and scaffold analytical thinking so that my students could engage deeply with challenging texts. Rather than being passive recipients of history, my students has become active interpreters, finding their own voices within the narrative and using evidence to support their insights.
Because of my growth, I have evidence that my students’ writing has grown from simple summaries to fully developed argumentative essays that connect historical events to the world they see outside their windows today. For example, my 5th graders analyzed the colonization of America and were able to argue how power dynamics established during early settlement continue to affect access to resources in modern Chicago neighborhoods. This shift occurred because I moved from being a “provider” of information to a “facilitator” of metacognition. Before NTL, I focused on whether my students got the answer right; but now, I explicitly teach them to monitor their own understanding as they read and interpret complex texts. They have learned to pause, question, and revise their thinking, which allows them to make deeper connections between historical content and contemporary issues. As a result, I’ve also watched my students’ confidence soar. By implementing “Think-Alouds,” self-correction checklists, and recursive writing strategies, tools I mastered during my Board-certification process, I empowered students to identify gaps in their reasoning and misconceptions independently. For instance, one student who previously struggled with simple summaries learned to use these strategies and was able to draft a compelling essay arguing that colonial-era power structures persist in Chicago today. He had learned to evaluate the strength of his evidence by asking questions such as, “Does this quote truly support my claim?” and “Have I considered other perspectives?” In doing so, he moved from relying on my teacher validation to critically assessing his own work, building both independence and confidence in his reasoning. Seeing my students become more critical readers and expressive writers because I gained specialized literacy tools to scaffold their thinking has made every late-night and weekend NTL study session worth it. The process not only improved my teaching, but also empowered my students to find and trust their own voices in history and in their writing.
Why You Should Consider Participating!
To all my fellow educators: our voices and our expertise are needed at the highest levels of this profession. While National Board Certification is a powerful journey for any teacher committed to excellence, I believe it is a critical pathway for Teachers of Color. It provides a platform to enhance and validate our pedagogy and ensures that the highly accomplished work happening in our community classrooms is recognized on a national stage. If you are looking for a way to grow, Nurturing Teacher Leadership is the pathway. Here is why you should consider joining:
- The Financial Boost: Achieving National Board Certification is a significant investment in your future; for me, it meant moving from Lane 2 to Lane 4 and receiving an annual stipend!
- Zero Cost: Aside from small registration fees, this elite professional development is free.
- Individualized Mentorship: You are never a number. The feedback is rigorous, personal, and designed to make you a master of your craft.
- Elite Credentials: This is the highest credential an American teacher can earn!
- Professional Mastery: Beyond the certificate, you become a more intentional, effective educator. You learn not just to teach content more effectively, but to design experiences that unlock student potential.
- Diverse Collaborative Cohort: You join a village of peers from across the district, ranging from early-career teachers with 3 years of experience teaching to veteran educators from all content backgrounds and development levels. Learning from their diverse experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, as well as their varying levels of expertise provides fresh insights that you can immediately bring back to your own teaching.
- Student Success: Ultimately, the greatest benefit is the measurable increase in student knowledge and engagement. When we sharpen our tools, our students are the ones who truly win.
