Today I noticed...Good Things.

The amount of good things in your life 

depends on your ability to notice

them.

 

Notices and Decisions

I got a notice last week that I probably should have been expecting but really hadn't thought about it at all for over a year, at least - and probably for longer. It made me pause and think for a bit about what sort of action I should take. Do I need to click on the links provided and jump through the required hoops or just let it go and lie like an old dog on the porch?

The notice said:

Our records indicate that you have a Tennessee educator license expiring on August 31, 2026. To avoid licensure expiration you must complete a renewal or advancement application in TNCompass by August 31, 2026. To ensure that you submit an application for the appropriate transaction, please visit the Licensed Educators section of our website.

 

 Now, I know that I retired already. I have no plans to go back into a classroom. I have no plans to return as an instructional coach or reading specialist. I have no plans to serve as a substitute teacher. And, I probably won't be required to produce my educator license to provide our means of support. So, do I r-e-a-l-l-y need to renew it? No, not really. 

Yet, I worked hard to earn that certification. I worked hard all those years to maintain and uphold it. Plus, what if?

I talked it over with the Mister and he simply asked, "Why wouldn't you renew it?" So, I immediately began clicking links and reading to learn what I needed to do get my license renewed. Knowing that I had done absolutely no professional development during my last year of work, I figured I was going to have to take some courses or participate in some workshops or do something to update my antiquated self.

Despite the fact that on the State Department of Education's website there are several dead links that give the dreaded 404 error when clicked, I began gathering information. I finally began a Google search and dug in to find out what I could about PDPs (Professional Development Points), workshops, courses, and options. I went to several university's websites and read the information provided for graduate students there. After a while, I decided I was ready to go back to the link provided in my notice and begin a transaction.

As I worked through the steps as indicated in the notice, I found myself reading and reading. Then, I'd click the next button and read some more. Maybe I was skimming more than I realized. I thought I was really reading closely but I know that when there is a load of text, I'm like anybody else - I'm a skimmer. So, I'd click on the back button and look at the information again. Finally, I clicked on the button that said: Start a new transaction.

I began working through the different screens and steps and kept thinking, this seems so easy. I checked my earned PDPs and learned that I had accrued 230 and was only required to have 60. There was also a state requirement that I must have completed a course for the state's Literacy Success Act's requirement. I had done that for elementary as well as for the secondary level. So, those boxes were automatically checked. Then, when I got to the submit button, I had a warning that make a couple of confirmations and one of them - the experience box - was 'greyed out' and not available for me to confirm. So, I had to go back several screens to read and confirm that I did indeed have more than twenty years of experience logged. After confirming, I was able to submit.

Voila! My license was automatically renewed in the system and it is active and I am a certified, licensed educator for our state until 2036. 

God help the world if I am what it is depending upon as a teacher in 2036!

BTW: I did find four courses that I am interested in working through:

• Differentiated Instruction
• Secondary Reading Instruction (Part 1)
• Secondary Reading Instruction (Part 2)
• Universal Design for Learning: Designing Learning Experiences That Engage and Challenge All Students

I'm signed up for the first and have 90 days to complete it! I guess that yearn to learn is still in there.