NATCHEZ &8212; These seven are at the top of their game.

The Miss-Lou teachers have put in the research, studied their own teaching methods, examined their students and passed the test. And now, they are National Board certified teachers.

The certification is the highest credential in the teaching profession, and it&8217;s not all that common.

Concordia Parish has only seven board certified teachers, four coming this year. Natchez-Adams had 14 last year, three more this fall.

Louisiana has 826 nationally certified teachers in the state; Mississippi has 2,379.

But it doesn&8217;t come without a price, and the war stories all carry the same tune.

&8220;It&8217;s a year of your life,&8221; Vidalia Lower Elementary&8217;s Pam Hoffpauir said. &8220;You really give up a year. Your family sacrifices, and you spend a year at school.&8221;

The intensive process is designed to take a year, but many don&8217;t pass the first time around. Hoffpauir, VLE&8217;s Karen Weeks, Vidalia High&8217;s Dorothy Ulmer, Ferriday High&8217;s Sandra Scruggs and Robert Lewis Middle School&8217;s Cindy Thornton beat the odds and passed in one try.

Frazier Primary&8217;s Kathy Graning and McLaurin Elementary School&8217;s Elizabeth Tanner passed on their second try.

All seven found out they&8217;d passed just before the holidays.

Teachers submit a series of portfolio entries including their writings on instruction and student performance. They also submit videos of their teaching and take a test at the end.

Submission deadlines fall throughout the year, upping the stress level, the teachers said.

&8220;It was the most difficult thing I&8217;ve ever done,&8221; said Scruggs, an 11th-grade history teacher. &8220;I put my family and friends on hold, anything else in my life was put on hold.&8221;

The four Concordia Parish teachers said they dove into the process after a little prodding from Superintendent Kerry Laster, who came from a district with a high number of National Board certified teachers.

&8220;The process helps those people grow into better teachers, much better teachers,&8221; Laster said. &8220;It&8217;s likened to writing a dissertation. It makes you examine your work.&8221;

Ulmer, who teaches high school algebra and geometry, said she learned to analyze her weaknesses through the process.

&8220;You really don&8217;t know what kind of teacher you are until you&8217;ve been videoed,&8221; she said. &8220;Until you see how much time you waste.&8221;

Ulmer said she learned the best teachers let the students lead the way.

&8220;I learned the way cooperative learning should be,&8221; she said. &8220;You let them discuss and you are the guide. I learned how to ask questions and lead them into what their doing.&8221;

The same hands-on discussion as opposed to lecture mentality is what the other teachers said they walked away with too.

Thornton, a middle school librarian, learned her biggest lesson and had the most fun when she videoed a lesson on the appreciation of literature, specifically mysteries.

The class assignment was to investigate a crime scene, interview others and solve the mystery.

&8220;Their eyes actually would light up,&8221; she said. &8220;(I learned) to allow students to be a lot more active.

&8220;I learned that I can be so much better than I am.&8221;

Graning, a PE teacher, and Tanner, a fourth-grade teacher, said the whole thing served as a refresher course for them.

&8220;It makes you think back on some things,&8221; Graning said. &8220;I&8217;ve always had a hard time letting (the children) choose things (to do). I&8217;ve been real structured. (National Board) is real big on letting the kids have choices.&8221;

Graning has been teaching for 24 years. Tanner has 25 years teaching experience.

&8220;It makes you think what other ways are there to teaching children,&8221; Tanner said. &8220;A lot you find out you do anyway, or you used to do it and you aren&8217;t anymore. You just come alive and teach again.&8221;

National Board certified teachers in Louisiana receive a $5,000 salary supplement each year for 10 years; Mississippi teachers get $6,000.

All seven said money was a factor in deciding to try for the certification, but it wasn&8217;t the sole factor for all of them, most just wanted the challenge.

All 50 states recognize National Board certified teachers and give them salary supplements, but some push the certification more than others. In Louisiana the certification is starting to grow in popularity, Laster said.

Concordia Parish had 10 teachers go through the certification process last year. Two more are trying for the title this year.

Having teachers with National Board certification reflects well on the schools and the district, too, Laster and VLES Principal Doris Polk said.

&8220;It feels good, nice to have our school have two,&8221; Polk said. &8220;The only thing I did was stand behind them and help when I could.&8221;

All teachers receive certification through the state. Applying for National Board Certification is voluntary.