My School is better than your school.........not!

I recently decided to convert my New Jersey teacher certification to a Georgia teacher certification. I did not think that this would be a very big deal. After all, New Jersey had given me certification as both a Middle and High School Social Studies teacher and as a Elementary Teacher. I won the New Jersey Commissioner of Education's Outstanding Teacher Candidate Award (they only gave out 16 that year in the whole state), I had several years experience in both middle and high school, and Georgia needs teachers. How hard could it possibly be to get certified?

Once I got off my butt and sat down with the paperwork, I was surprised. I was able to get everything started online. I put together copies of my certification and transcript and sent it off. The first response tht I got said that I needed to send 'official copies' of my transcripts. Here is my first aggravated moment. Did the Georgia Department of Education really think that New Jersey had certified me to teach without my having a college degree? Also, they had 'unofficial copies' so what is the big deal. But, I got on the phone with my college and found out that they will not do a transcript request by phone or by fax, only in person on by mail. Since I now live about 800 miles from there, I decided to send in my request by mail, along with the check for the $6 fee. What is up with that? The $25,000+ each year that they got from me as a student wasn't enough? Are you really going to tell me that it costs them $6 to mail a couple of sheets of paper with a stamp on them? The county college I went to was able to send out my transcripts with a fax request, for free!

So now all I could do was wait. Every week or so, I would hop online to check the status of my application. It continued to be on hold while they waited for my transcripts. Finally, I call my college again. They have no record of my request. I check my bank, and the check has not been cashed. OK, now I am really annoyed. I call my dad and ask him to go over there and do the request in person. He calls me while he is there to tell me they need my signature. I told him to just go out to the car 'where I was waiting'....wink, wink...nudge, nudge...and I would sign it. So, he forged my name and the papers were filed.

This was right before Christmas, so I figured by the time we got back from Disney, everything would be set. I get online, and still no transcript. I call the Georgia DOE, they have no record of it. I call my college, again. They sent it out, and...the Georgia DOE sent a response card that they had received the transcript! I call the Georgia DOE back and the person I speak to takes my number and promises to look into it and call me back. Miracle of miracles, she calls back to tell me that she found my transcript and was entering it into my file. Woo Hoo! Now I will have my Georgia certification.

Or not. I just got a letter in the mail about my certification. I am approved for a non-renewable certificate. I can only get this certificate when I am hired by a Georgia school. To get my regular, renewable certificate I need to take some classes, a computer test, and a couple of content tests. Are you kidding me? This state is desperate for good teachers. Test scores are in the toilet. Education is a bit of a joke throughout most of the state. Here I am a certified, experienced, award-winning teacher, and I am not good enough. I taught in a state that is has some of the highest ranked schools in the country. I taught in a state that has much higher test scores and standards. Do they really think that I can't hack it in the backwoods, redneck, hick-ass Georgia schools?!

I tutor h

ere. I have seen the quality of the Georgia education system. They should be bending over backwards and kissing my ass in hopes that I will teach here. Half the teachers here probably look like this:

All in all, it is total crap, but I will cope because I have to!