"Reciprocity" is a Big, Cruel Joke

Here is a post I wrote over at Teachers.net with a response which says it all.

My post:

"Reciprocity" is a big fat lie. The fact is if you have a teaching license
from the state you trained in and taught initially and then move, you have no
real "reciprocity." True, states don't make you go back for another
teaching degree, but they will load up requirements like ridiculous testing
requirements and additional classes. They think you aren't "good enough" for
"their" kids even though student populations are mostly the same everywhere
and have the same needs. It should be a federal requirement that if you are
licensed in a subject area in one state, it is good in all fifty.

The lack of true reciprocity is one of the reasons that before the latest
economic downturn, there were huge gluts of teachers in most regions and
shortages of teachers in others. Now there is nothing but one big glut.

The response:

Reciprocity is a big joke. It takes a lot of jumping
through hoops as well as time to get reciprocity. And, of
course, it comes with a hefty fee. And, yes, why is it
that teachers credentialed in other states with basically
the same standards has to jump through hoops but meanwhile
any Teach for America candidate is allowed to waltz right
into a classroom with just a few worthless weeks of
"training."

Similarly, many states will gladly give temporary
credentials at the request of the school districts so that
foreign teachers (with substandard English) brought in on
visas can teach but American teachers credentialed in a
different state are not given the opportunity to have the
same temporary credentials. I just read about that. What a
sick joke.

The entire system is crooked. State departments of
education and school districts are run like the mafia.
They ignore whatever laws they like with near impunity and
do as they wish.

link


It's a cruel joke. I will likely have to take a stupid test or two to prove I am "capable" despite having a master's degree in education and around six years of experience (or five, if you count my last truncated year as "unsuccessful" thanks to a perjuring POS). Here is an area where a test case could come in handy.