A Simple Twist of Fate

To update you all on the doctor visit situation...the doctor called me yesterday to apologize for what happened on Wednesday. She said if she had known what was happening out in the waiting room (adding that she herself has gone through a miscarriage), she would have insisted on seeing me. She answered all my questions and gave me the green light to try again after one cycle. I think we are planning to wait until November to try again, for other reasons, but it is good to know she didn't find any red flags upon sampling the tissue that was removed.

As for the certification debacle, the Illinois Board of Education called me today to inform me I will be receiving my Illinois Standard Certificate mid-week next week. They made a point to tell me how many exceptions they had to make for me, because I don't have 5 years of teaching experience (I guess subbing doesn't count, which contradicts what I had been told previously!). It is ridiculous...because I don't have student teaching experience, they were requiring 5 years regular teaching experience. How a student teaching position is more valued than an actual teaching position is beyond me.

She said my certificate will be good for high school English. I hope they specify that I can teach grades 6-12, like I could in Florida. If they don't honor that endorsement, that means I will have to take a course on middle school instruction to have that endorsement added to my certificate. Seriously, this is all a money-making scam. Forget the fact that I taught 7th/8th grade Language Arts in Florida for two years...Illinois is basically implying I need an additional course to prove to them I can teach middle school. Really, it is ridiculous.

But I am just happy I'll at least have what I need to keep my current position and apply for other high school positions. I can always knock that extra course out online, if absolutely necessary. You do what you have to do, right?