Frozen Finger Syndrome vs The Never Ending Story

This is a tale of opposites. A candidate has already admitted that she has a very common National Board malady: Frozen Finger Syndrome. She sits down at the computer, puts her hands over the keyboard - and has no idea what to write. Does this sound familiar to you? If so, here are some suggestions to help you get started:

1. Whenever you start an entry, type in the prompts (in their entirety). Type them in a color in 12 point font. This will ensure that the prompts are highly visible and that you will answer ALL PARTS of the question. Then, as you write and begin to polish your drafts, gradually lower the font size until you are down to 8 point. This will help you gauge your space and page count more accurately. When you reach 8 points, you will be on the verge of being able to eliminate the prompts.
2. If you still can't get started, try writing something else to get your thinking flowing. After Entry 4 in your portfolio are additional forms and sheets you will turn in with each entry. One of them is called Contextual Information. This form is a place to write general information about your school district and school clientele. This may be a good place to start writing. The piece is mainly description - the easiest writing style - and contains information you already know well. Having this done early, even if you tweak it from time to time, will be a godsend in March when you may be scrambling to polish your entries. A word of caution: PAY ATTENTION TO PAGE LIMITS - they matter.
3. The third suggestion to get you started writing is to look at the Instructional Context prompt in Entries 1,2,and 3. This is similar in many ways to the Contextual Information, only this is specifically about your teaching situation and the class you are using for the entry. Here you describe the class, its personality, special needs and other characteristics of the group. You can likely start on this section soon after school starts and you've had a chance to get to know your class(es). In some certificates you will use the same class for every entry while in other certificates different classes will be featured in each entry. Read each entry's directions carefully to determine your requirements. Then, as above, PAY ATTENTION TO THE PAGE LIMITS!

Now, the opposite of not being able to write anything is The Never Ending Story Syndrome. No one has reached this point yet, but some of you will find yourself facing this dilemma - which can be as frustrating as its opposite counterpart. The candidate who faces this issue is the one who writes 30 pages and has to whittle it down to 15. It is usually a good idea, when starting to write, to get every idea and thought down on paper so you can pick and choose which to feature. But if you find yourself facing this dilemma down the road, chances are you have gone overboard with description and don't have nearly enough analysis and reflection. I'll elaborate on this another time - just be aware of the amount of description you put in the entries. Writing "just the facts" should be your descriptional goal. Save valuable space for the more important analysis and reflection.

Hopefully you've now picked up a few tips to help you get started writing. Warm those frozen fingers up by trying one of these suggestions. HAPPY WRITING!