The information Highway

We say that the Internet is the Information Highway. It has spawned a whole new era of information sharing and added a whole new dimension to our economy. The economy of jobs is where this rambling is headed. As I move further up the food chain in the land of professionalism I move more and more into the world of the ethereal . What do you mean ? asks a colleague or friend. Na not the colleague as they are quite familiar with this ethereal world. The world of 30 years at a manufacturing facility for some unskilled (?) laborer are yes fading but not totally gone. There are a few left.

What jobs do we have? I have become all to familiar with one job. This is the job of administration of information. The administration of personal information and knowledge highway.

Recently I have been attempting to gather all the information that I need to file for my professional teaching certification. This journey (the paperwork portion, as I have completed all the requirements i.e. time in a classroom and correct number of credit hours beyond the Bachelor degree CEU's as they are commonly known) started appropriately enough at the education department of my local university. They gave me the appropriate papers to take to the school I am now teaching at and told me to have the office fill them out. I took them to the office, who then sent me to the main office, who then sent me to the administrative office for the whole school district, who then sent me to the sub placement agency who works through the school, who then told me that they could fill out the form to the best of their ability but that usually was not good enough for the ed department at the university and if I had an issue with that I should go to the ed department and take it up with them. Does anyone feel like their own a merry go round? I don't remember buying a e-ride ticket.

I have not been a traditional teacher in a traditional classroom. There are a lot of us teachers out here doing non-traditional teaching. I have taught two semester as a long term sub-teacher in my major where I was responsible for all curriculum, student behavior, 100% of the teaching duties. Nothing was left by the other teacher for me to follow. I spent three years as a teacher at a non-profit for at risk students teaching mostly Science and math, by mostly I mean 90%. All responsibilities there were also mine. So now as I file my paperwork I get kudos from everyone but a reluctance on the part of administrators to put into writing my nontraditional teaching experience. Is is really so nontraditional? There are students in a classroom. I preform all the duties of a teacher who has been hired to do a job whether that job is for 3 months or 30 years is irrelevant because the student that I teach still need to learn the material now.
I must continue my search for the allusive administrative official capable of making a final decision. They do exist for I have found them in the past and I am always very grateful for their continence. I think I started this with a journey and it continues.