Driver Middle School teacher earns national certification

Brenda Eschelbacher

Brenda Eschelbacher, a special education teacher at C.S. Driver Middle School in the Marcellus Central School District, has earned the highest credential available to American educators by recently becoming a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Mrs. Eschelbacher earned her National Board Certification in November and was recognized by the Marcellus CSD Board of Education during its Jan. 23 meeting. She joins the growing ranks of National Board Certified Teachers at Marcellus, which already include Mary Jo Hoeft, George Mango, Joanne Lewendowski and Kathy Rein.

“Mrs. Eschelbacher joins a distinguished group of educators in Marcellus who have earned the National Board Certification,” Dr. Tice said. “We are so proud of their efforts, because the arduous process to obtain this credential is truly a labor of love.”

National Board Certification is achieved through a rigorous, performance-based, peer-reviewed assessment of a teacher's pedagogical skills and content knowledge. The certification process takes one to three years to complete. While licensing standards set the basic requirements to teach in a state, NBCTs demonstrate advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices similar to the certifications earned by experts in law and medicine.

“National Board Certification represents the pinnacle of professional accomplishment in teaching,” National Board President and CEO Dr. Ron Thorpe said in a news release.