Maricopan to speak at accomplished teaching event

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Saturday, Feb. 26, Tina Leach, the Maricopa Elementary School academic coach, will take the stage at the Wyndham Phoenix to share with her peers what becoming a national board certified teacher has meant to her.

Leach has been part of the Maricopa Unified School District for four of her 14 years as an educator. In November she became one of the three newest MUSD board certified teachers.

“For more than a decade, National Board Certified Teachers have been transforming our nation’s schools by demonstrating effective teaching practice,” said Joseph A. Aguerrebere, NBPTS president and chief executive officer. “Like board-certified medical doctors, National Board Certified Teachers have met high standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment and peer review.”

“I am proud that Mrs. Tina Leach is among a select group of excellent teachers nationwide who have achieved National Board Certification. These outstanding educators are making a positive difference in the lives of students,” Aguerrebere added in his November press release.

Leach calls her certification process “a reflective, refining and rewarding experience.”
She credits her husband Dave and their three daughters, Chelsie, Karli and Mariah, as well as her co-workers, for the support they provided her during the rigorous process.

Asked to speak at the NBCT retreat, Leach has now been invited to speak at the Celebration of Accomplished Teaching event, which will honor Arizona’s best teachers on Feb. 26. The event is presented by the Arizona K-12 Center and Arizona Public Service.

“I am truly honored to work with such wonderful people here in Maricopa, and I now have another support system and network of colleagues through the AZ K-12 Center and NBCT,” Leach said. “I look forward to what the future has in store for me, as well as helping to support other teachers that decide to pursue National Board Certification.”

“It is quite an accomplishment to pass the test and earn this title, but it is even a greater honor to be asked as a speaker,” said Leach’s MES assistant principal Zoyla Cruz-Beckett.

Submitted photo