I’m glad that I paid attention to the fine print on my newly acquired California teaching certificate. It sates that I need to take and pass their CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills Test). It’s part of President Bush’s No Child Left Behind legislation that requires that public school teachers are “highly quilified”. I took the Washington version to be allowed into the teaching major at Eastern Washington U. Back to the fine print. I read that I had within a year of the issuance of the certificate to complete this stipulation (read: jump through this hoop). So I figure, the certificate was issued in May of 2006, I’ll have until May of 2007, right? I can just take the test when I’m in Cali. =) No, that would be too easy. I applied for the certificate in August of 2005, and the date of issuance of my certificate reads August of 2005. So, without taking the test the ONE TIME that it was offered between May 2006 when I recieved this news (and my certificate) and the cutoff date in August 2006, I would lose my certificate and have to reapply. Seriously, I know that California ia having some problems, but this is ridiculous. Luckily, I spotted the issue in enough time to register (with a late payment fee) to take the test in La Grande, Oregon yesterday. I guess that all of this was to say that it was a super fun trip for me. I left my house at 3am and drove and drove (ok, it was only about 4 hours. =) and had great goodies in my car, and after the (snore) long test I wandered around La Grande for a while. Charming town. not much was open though- EOU graduation was taking place and must have kept most of the town busy. So- it seems that one more hoop has been jumped, and maybe soon I will find myself in a job (I had a dream last night that I was hired to teach band- ok, it was more like a nightmare!)
squeeze your Fathers!
laura. =)

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