I Did It!

I conquered my greatest fear this month. And, I am just about as happy as I can be. When I was in college,twenty one years ago, studying to be a science teacher, the state of Florida was just beginning to incorporate the Subject Area Exam for people that were preparing to be teachers. In order to get a teaching certificate, one had to pass the SAE in the field (i.e. history, math, science, English, etc.)they intended on teaching in. I was petrified because Biology is such a multi-faceted, in depth subject. But, then I found out that because I had attended a state community college and had taken and passed the CLAST (College Level Academics Skills Test) I was grandfathered in and therefore wasn't required to take the SAE. Whew!

Once, I began teaching I was able to recertify every five years with in service points. Teachers are required to attend meetings and workshops. For attending, they earn and accumulate points. Then when it is time to recertify, the DOE will evaluate the points and issue a current certificate. Mine expires at the end of June this year. Well, since I haven't been teaching, I haven't earned any points. So, I had two options to recertify. I could take TWO college level courses or pass the SAE for each area I am certified in. Since I didn't enjoy the studying part of college, I opted to go the easy route (so I thought at the time) and take the tests.

I purchased the study guides online and the process began. Google became my best friend. I have spent the last two months studying by researching the standards set by the state on my laptop. At one point, I thought my computer was going to crash. Thank the Lord it didn't. My redneck techie (Do those two words go together?) husband worked his magic on it. On February 2, 2009, I took and passed the Middle School General Science test. Here's the proof:

And yesterday, I took and passed the Biology grades 6-12 test. Here is that proof:

These say "unofficial" because this is what the testing coordinator gave me when I left the testing center. I am upset that the state doesn't give a numerical score but I am very happy to get the "Pass." That's all I really need to know. I have received the "official" pass in the mail for the General Science and I am eagerly awaiting the Biology one in the mail.

I would especially like to thank Todd and Nathan for their patience in letting me study. When Nathan got off the bus yesterday the first thing he said to me was, "Mom, did you pass your test?" I told him that I had. He said, "Good, now me and Alaina can come inside and play Wii." Alaina is his friend that lives next door and they have been banned to outdoor play for the last two months. And, I would like to thank everyone who prayed for me. To me, it was a real miracle.