One teacher earns national board certification; two renew

Congratulations to one Hampton City Schools (HCS) counselor who recently earned her National Board Teacher certification. One teacher and one counselor also renewed their certification. Mia Moore, counselor at Hampton High School, earned her certification for the first time and Marie Putzke, teacher at Bassette Elementary School, and Tamara Behan, counselor at Hampton High School, renewed their certification.

Mia Moore is a school counselor with more than a decade of service in Hampton City Schools. She began her career as an attendance coordinator in 2012 and later served as the middle school counseling director at Andrews PreK-8 School. She has supported students and families at Kilgore Gifted Center and Phoebus High School, and currently serves as a counselor at Hampton High School. Moore earned National Board Certification in school counseling, early childhood through young adulthood, reflecting her commitment to equity and student success.

Marie Putzke has been a dedicated educator at Bassette Elementary School since 1998. She earned National Board Certification in 2005, renewed her certification in 2015, and completed the Maintenance of Certification in 2025, reflecting her long-standing commitment to professional excellence. Throughout her career, she has taught second and third grades and currently serves as a kindergarten teacher at Bassette.

Tamara Behan is completing her second National Board Certification recertification in school counseling. She initially earned certification at the elementary level and achieved certification at the high school level through this recertification process. She has served in Hampton City Schools for 16 years, working at Armstrong School for the Arts, Phoebus High School, and Hampton High School. She currently serves as a school counselor at Hampton High School.

From the National Board Certification website:

National Board Certification is the most respected professional certification available in education and provides numerous benefits to teachers, students and schools. It was designed to develop, retain and recognize accomplished teachers and to generate ongoing improvement in schools nationwide.

While teacher licensure systems set the basic requirements to teach in each state, completion of National Board Certification signifies that teachers have voluntarily gone much further. NBCTs have developed and demonstrated the advanced knowledge, skills, and practices required of an outstanding educator.

Standards for each content area and developmental level are created by teachers, for teachers. They represent a consensus among educators about what accomplished, effective teachers should know and be able to do to improve student learning and achievement. Board certification is available in 25 certificate areas, from Pre-K through 12th grade.

Certification consists of four components: assessment of content knowledge, reflection on student work samples, video and analysis of teaching practice, and documentation of the impact of assessment and collaboration on student learning. Throughout its more than 25-year history, the National Board has sought to review and revise its standards and certification process to reflect best practices in teaching. Throughout the process, teachers will be able to apply what they have learned to their classroom practice and connect with other teachers pursuing certification. Recognizing the many demands on teachers’ time, the process is designed to be flexible, efficient, and affordable.