Since nobody reads this blog anymore it is a good place to vent my anger regarding a crucial letter I needed that took me the better part of a year to get.
Let me run down the story for you. Since I knew my preliminary CA multiple-subject credential needed renewing/clearing by the end of December 2011 I started this whole process in May. The CTC told me that since I already had 2 years of out of state experience in Arizona nearly a decade ago, I needed to send them satisfactory performance evaluations from those two years (Which thankfully, I had managed to hang on to) and the following :
All you would need to do to apply based on the new regulations is to verify two or more years of full-time out-of-state (OOS) teaching experience. This is done by an original letter on school district letterhead. It must clearly state your employment was full-time and provide the dates of said employment. The letter must be signed by the district office such as Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Director of HR or Personnel or their designee. It is not a recommendation letter nor should it be signed by the principal.
So that seems easy enough yes? So I emailed the superintendent of the tiny district where I worked in Arizona with this request, and this exact description. It was the same woman I had dealt with on a daily basis when I taught there. All I needed was basically a letter with a total of two sentences in it on district letterhead. Well my email was ignored.
So the next step, I called several times every few days for a while and was repeatedly told the superintendent was not available.
So the next step, I called several times every few days for a while and was repeatedly told the superintendent was not available.
Ok the next step, I sent this same request with all the details in the mail with an SASE in it and spoonfed her as best I could to tell her what I needed. This was still June so I wasn't panicking yet.
With the summer and the school being closed most of the time I just sort of let it slide, and then decided to apply the pressure again in September. Calling every few days, finally getting through to the superintendent one time. She told me she had got the information but hadn't read it yet. I ran it all down for her, gave her my address, phone, email everything if she had any more questions. A week later or so I checked back and she said she didn't have my address to send it to me. I patiently gave it to her.
Then in October after all this I finally got the letter I needed in the mail. I looked through it, it was missing one of the things that needed to be on it. It didn't say anywhere on it that I was full-time. This after I had specifically told her it needed to be there. Well at this point I figured I had put in so much work, that the letter was close enough and the state would probably take it, perhaps they would call her if they needed more information. So I sent it off, not knowing that the stress hadn't even begun.
Then in October after all this I finally got the letter I needed in the mail. I looked through it, it was missing one of the things that needed to be on it. It didn't say anywhere on it that I was full-time. This after I had specifically told her it needed to be there. Well at this point I figured I had put in so much work, that the letter was close enough and the state would probably take it, perhaps they would call her if they needed more information. So I sent it off, not knowing that the stress hadn't even begun.
Then early December, shortly after we got a new kid and I had my arm's full with that, I got a letter back from CTC saying that my application was incomplete because the letter did not state 'full-time' on it, and that I had 60 days to send them a corrected letter or my application would be rejected. So it was coming up on the winter break for the school and I wanted to get this done with. I called them several times, stating what had happened. After asking for my address again for about the 4th time they just managed to get the letter off before they went on vacation on 12/16.
So Monday December 18th I got the new revised letter. On this new letter, I double checked it, and it now says full-time, thank goodness for that. But after reading through it more, I see that my name is spelled wrong on it, and they have the wrong dates that I worked there! So I give a call that day, and I reach straight to the superintendent. She says that the office is closed, she's the only one there and the letter is on the secretary's computer and she can't access it for two weeks. She says she will see if the secretary can come in special during the break to fix it.
Well needless to say, nothing happens until everybody gets back from the break in January. I give a call when they get back and ask the secretary about it, she hadn't been told anything about it by the superintendent of course, she apologizes and says she will get it off straight away. She tells me to email to her directly what should be in the letter again and my address. So I compose the entire letter for her and email it to her. I also asked her to reply when she has sent it off since I'm on a tight schedule and my current credential already expired on 12/31/11. I get no response so I call the next day, she said she didn't have my address and emailed me saying that. Well I hadn't got anything from here, and I had already sent or dictated my address to them at least 6 times since this started.
So in an attempt to end this story. I finally got the letter a week later. No errors, had everything in it that needed to be there. I sent it off to CTC and yesterday my credential was finally cleared. So thank goodness I never have to talk to anybody in that office ever again. Just imagine if the letter needed 3 sentences in it, that would of taken another few months.
So in an attempt to end this story. I finally got the letter a week later. No errors, had everything in it that needed to be there. I sent it off to CTC and yesterday my credential was finally cleared. So thank goodness I never have to talk to anybody in that office ever again. Just imagine if the letter needed 3 sentences in it, that would of taken another few months.
