The Real Question For Christmas Morn: WHY are your kids in college?

Boston Herald ^ | December 14, 2011 | Michael Graham

[BenKenobi]

Well I have been a part timer for a year and a half now. I really enjoy the work, and now I have some experience. I have a 4 year degree in history, so I am qualified to teach pretty much anywhere. I have ran a tutoring business on the side for about 3-4 years now. So I’ve seen all kinds of students, and helped them get to where they needed to be.

I have no problems with getting my certification, just I can’t afford to do so right now, and I am trying to save up. But, other things have taken priority. I finally have a place where I can live and stay that is not far from work. Now I just have to work on putting away the money so I can go back to school to have other people tell me what I’ve been doing for years now. :)

But I’ll get the piece of paper at the end of it.

“Don’t ever get to thinking you wouldn’t join the NEA (which is the unwritten law) in order to land a teaching position. Thinking like that will make you awful hungry for a long time.”

I relocated to a right to work state, and everything that has come to me, including my slot has nothing to do with the NEA. I owe them nothing. Certification, no problem. NEA, not if I can possibly avoid it.

[Eska]

Usually with ED certifications, you need a bunch of sp ed & multi cult classes on top of say a history degree. Here in Ak, we have to do back ground checks, fingerprints, pass praxis tests in your chosen field, meet qualifications, and then pay state 3-4 hundred for license every 5 years. Once you get cert, you keep it current by continually taking classes during the summer.

The part about NEA union dues, I'm not joking. Twenty years back, I was trying to convince the wifey to quit the NEA. She had the $15/year they spend on dem pacs refunded, but you ain't getting most of what they take back. I got to know some people in the State Repub Party up here, some of the movers & shakers but not elected officials; behind the scenes people. One lady involved called me and told me to lay off on the wife quitting the NEA. This lady had quit NEA and was blackballed by other teachers & administration. They set her up and she was drummed out of the teaching profession. She advised wife to just pay the NEA, avoid the problems and send 100 bucks to the Repubs every time they called the house; which is all the time, ha ha. Wife likes teaching, been pretty successful at it, and stays out of the politics; I don't preach to her about the NEA nowadays either, ha ha. Some things you just have to live with if you want to get along with everybody in the district; who usually are a bunch of stinkin dems anyway.