[Please Excuse This Brief Rant]

Disclaimer: This is meant more as a cathartic post than anything, but I did have some decent insights I wanted to share.

Just yesterday in the mail I finally received my certificate of licensure (7-12 Integrated Social Studies) from the State of Ohio, which means I can official be a teacher in Ohio (and most other States with reciprocity). The only thing standing in my way: a job. Or, should I say, lack thereof.

I'm in my fourth month of applying to jobs, with varying levels of success. At last count, I've sent formal applications and/or resumes to 91 schools and school districts -- the majority in the Greater Cincinnati area, but a few elsewhere, namely Indiana, Colorado, and North Carolina. Those 91 application have so far resulted in five interviews. Not the greatest rate, but, from everyone I've talked to and everything I've read online, not anything unusual.

A lack of interviews and/or offers is not the reason for this venting, however. Rather, my complaint is with the (perceived) reason for that lack of response. What do I feel is the biggest weakness on all my applications? Quite simply, I lack teaching experience. Case in point: I was recently turned down from a position teaching Psychology because other candidates had direct prior experience teaching the subject, whereas I had not. Of course, this is to be expected from someone who just completed his teacher certification program and whose only applicable experience is four months of teaching Government and Economics.

That same day, though, I had an epiphany: the requirement for a certain level of experience among new hires presents a Catch-22 for new teachers. So, I need a certain level of experience to get a job. But here's the Catch: I can only get that experience if I've had a job first.

Let me repeat that: One can't get a job without relevant experience, but one can only obtain relevant experience though a job. It's an endlessly closed, completely tautological loop.

This hyperbolic focus on previous experience, while unfortunate, does make sense in the current educational environment. With the increasing presence of high-stakes testing determining funding outcomes (and, in some cases, school closures) and with the pressure of politicians, the public, and the media demanding immediate fixes for the supposed failures of schools, hiring a new employee becomes a short-term solution rather than a long-term investment. There is no leeway for the traditional learning curve of a new teacher; test scores must be raised this semester, Adequate Yearly Progress goals must be reached, the teacher must immediately add value to all students' education.

The stakes are too high to hire someone who might have to learn on the job; better go with someone who has already done it before. Of course a brand new teacher is going to have a learning curve. Of course a brand new teacher is going to have to learn on the job. Of course every new teacher is going to screw up, make mistakes, and do certain things that an experienced teacher would know to avoid. Any veteran teacher will tell you that those mistakes and failures are how they learn the best practices for their classroom.

How can we justify denying aspiring teachers of those same learning experiences that shape their development as professionals?