Re: Screwed by State!

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Michigan Teachers Chatboard

Re: Screwed by State!

by Barb

Sep 22, 2013

Wow. At first I felt empathy towards you for the trouble you are having getting a job. Many of us have been there and done that. Michigan teachers have gone through lots of hardships from our politicians trying to destroy our salaries, pensions, benefits, unions, etc., so we understand your frustration.

But to badmouth Michigan drivers, our roads and our suburbs to a MICHIGAN group was pretty much uncalled for. Our roads are partially bad due to our climate- repeated periods of freezing, thawing, freezing, etc. wreaks havoc on our roads. There are bad drivers everywhere, in every state. Don't lump all of us into one category. I have lived in Michigan my whole life. It's a beautiful state and I am PROUD OF MY MITTEN. I wouldn't live anywhere else. I'm sorry you aren't happy here. I wish you the best of luck, in another state.

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Jacob L. On 9/25/13, Fred W wrote: > I know that applying for a Michigan teacher licensure from out of > state can be difficult, I've done it myself. The only difference > is I happened to be accepted but not without some work. It was > requested that I send in a letter from the dean of education at > the college I attended stating how each c...See More

Dec 30, 2013

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Fred W I know that applying for a Michigan teacher licensure from out of state can be difficult, I've done it myself. The only difference is I happened to be accepted but not without some work. It was requested that I send in a letter from the dean of education at the college I attended stating how each course I took related to the Michigan special ed sys...See More

Sep 25, 2013

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Pure Michigan... Been there, done that on the contacting the college. Long story short: my program is generalist-oriented. My university trained me to teach all "special ed" categories and that is how the state certifies us. We also train in either elementary or secondary... very rarely is anyone K-12 special ed. Another stumbling block in this state.

I ha...See MoreBeen there, done that on the contacting the college. Long story short: my program is generalist-oriented. My university trained me to teach all "special ed" categories and that is how the state certifies us. We also train in either elementary or secondary... very rarely is anyone K-12 special ed. Another stumbling block in this state.

I have taught students with LD, ED, Autism, and Cognitive Disabilities in resource, co-teaching, and self-contained environments. However, because my college didn't have very many classes that focused only on one category, "Methods of LD" for example, I am apparently qualified in none according to the state of MI. I have some regular ed endorsements in this state, but there is no demand and that's not where my passion is.

My wife got the job in MI in June, so I knew there would be some time when I wasn't teaching. I thought I might be able to snag a mid-year position or long-term sub job particularly in one of the Charters in Detroit. I imagine that lovely city scares a few new teachers away in the first couple of months. However, it is not to be. We'll be moving next summer.

As far as insulting Michigan, I was mad... However, I stand by my Detroit and roads comments. I have sat with people born and raised here who have plenty to say about Detroit. I spoke with one guy who grew up in the City of Detroit and he seethes with hatred and disgust for it's current condition, both financial and physical.

The roads: it's not the weather's fault. With the exception of 4 years in the military stationed in Texas and Florida, I have always lived in northern climates. I've lived in Minneapolis for a time, which makes Michigan look like the Bahamas, and their roads seldom have a pot hole, and if they do, it's permanently fixed in the spring with poured concrete. I roll over pot holes and ravaged roads daily in Michigan and I haven't lived here during the winter. As a matter of fact, I've lived in almost every state that touches a Great Lake, and Michigan roads are third world compared to the rest of those states.

I was deployed to Bosnia in the 90s, which had fought a civil war for 5 years. I mean, they had artillery shelling daily in some areas, and I saw fewer chewed up roads than Michigan. Yes, Sarajevo at the end of a 4-year long, military siege had much better roads than suburban Detroit. MUCH better. Artillery shelling and a failed state, and they had MUCH better roads, and they had winter too. Think about it.

Drivers. Yes, there are bad drivers everywhere. This is true. However, Michigan does have a healthy share. Trust me, I've driven on three continents. Daily, I have people drive on the opposite side of the road. Daily. Granted, they're probably avoiding pot holes, but still...

Go Oakland!

Oct 1, 2013

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