An Open Letter to the Bean Counters
A few years back, I asked my good friend Rick Fawcett what I need to know as a Canadian Immigrant-to-be.
His response suprised me. He said, with a fair amount of disdain in his voice, that "Canadians, above all else, love rules".
At the time, I thought that this was, on the whole, a good thing. I couldn't understand why this was so upsetting to him. I believe a society should respect the rule of law, and in my lifetime, I've lived in a number of countries where lawlessness and corruption have led to considerable misery.
Now, I think I understand where Rick was coming from.
I'm currently applying for a teaching license from the Ontario College of Teachers, and despite the fact that I've been a teacher for 7 years with a license in good standing from the state of Minnesota, they won't even begin to evaulate my credentials.
The final reason for their refusal is this: I took education classes in Iowa, yet obtained a license from Minnesota.
The law stipulates that I must have certification in the state where I took classes.
Because I lack a functioning time machine, I have no recourse now but to petition the State of Iowa for a teaching license. The manager of the College of Teachers is adamnant on this point. No exceptions.
This, to me, is a perfect example of bean-counting taking preference over the best interests of Ontario. The letter of the law trumps the spirit of the law. Ontario could have an award-winning teacher with a spotless record and an M.A. in the classroom right now if not for this bizarre stipulation, and I challenge anyone to argue how this restriction is in any way serving the people of this province.
My frustration is compounded by the fact that my file with the Ontario College of Teachers might have sat there indefinitely had I not agressively pursued the status of my application with the assistance of Paul Steckle's office.
It's my understanding that people in the medical profession who would like to practice in Canada face a similar maze of byzantine complexity. How many people are there such as myself who find themeselves unable to support their families due to these types of issues?
In my opinion, Canadians need to return to the spirit of law and ask themselves the simple question: Are our laws regarding professional certifcation acting in the best interest of our province, or are they mitigating against it?
His response suprised me. He said, with a fair amount of disdain in his voice, that "Canadians, above all else, love rules".
At the time, I thought that this was, on the whole, a good thing. I couldn't understand why this was so upsetting to him. I believe a society should respect the rule of law, and in my lifetime, I've lived in a number of countries where lawlessness and corruption have led to considerable misery.
Now, I think I understand where Rick was coming from.
I'm currently applying for a teaching license from the Ontario College of Teachers, and despite the fact that I've been a teacher for 7 years with a license in good standing from the state of Minnesota, they won't even begin to evaulate my credentials.
The final reason for their refusal is this: I took education classes in Iowa, yet obtained a license from Minnesota.
The law stipulates that I must have certification in the state where I took classes.
Because I lack a functioning time machine, I have no recourse now but to petition the State of Iowa for a teaching license. The manager of the College of Teachers is adamnant on this point. No exceptions.
This, to me, is a perfect example of bean-counting taking preference over the best interests of Ontario. The letter of the law trumps the spirit of the law. Ontario could have an award-winning teacher with a spotless record and an M.A. in the classroom right now if not for this bizarre stipulation, and I challenge anyone to argue how this restriction is in any way serving the people of this province.
My frustration is compounded by the fact that my file with the Ontario College of Teachers might have sat there indefinitely had I not agressively pursued the status of my application with the assistance of Paul Steckle's office.
It's my understanding that people in the medical profession who would like to practice in Canada face a similar maze of byzantine complexity. How many people are there such as myself who find themeselves unable to support their families due to these types of issues?
In my opinion, Canadians need to return to the spirit of law and ask themselves the simple question: Are our laws regarding professional certifcation acting in the best interest of our province, or are they mitigating against it?
