Nasty comback email from MDE...

Ms. Walch:

This is the first email or correspondence I have received from you.

I am unclear as to what you are referencing in your email below when you state: “Michigan Department of Education's newly adopted standards.”  The Michigan Department of Education has not adopted any new standards for issuing day-to-day substitute teacher permits.  I am attaching the FACTS document for Michigan teacher permits for your reference.  This document outlines the requirements for the 90 semester credit hours.  It is up to date and posted on our website.  The document states:

·         Requires completion of at least 90 semester hours of satisfactory (minimum of 2.0 cumulative grade point average) credit consolidated at a regionally accredited four-year college or university.

This is based upon language in the Teacher Certification Code (http://www7.dleg.state.mi.us/orr/Files/AdminCode/980_2011-018ED_AdminCode.pdf), Rule 43, Section 1 (R 390.1143).  Teacher Certification Code holds the weight of law.

You also referenced the MCSC is a commission that oversees state employees working within state agencies and has no bearing on employment of individuals within public or private schools in Michigan.  For additional clarifying information on MCSC and its purpose, please go to:  http://michigan.gov/mdcs/0,4614,7-147-48041-23152--,00.html.

Unfortunately, we cannot (and therefore PESG) cannot accept credits earned a college or institution that is not regionally accredited.

Krista


Krista D. Ried
Supervisor of Client Services
Office of Professional Preparation Services
Michigan Department of Education
608 W. Allegan St
P.O. Box 30008
Lansing, MI 48909
517-373-6791
riedk@mi.gov
www.michigan.gov/teachercert (Certification Information)
www.michigan.gov/mde-hq (Highly Qualified Information)
fax: 517-373-0542

"What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must be what the community wants for all its children." - John Dewey
Supporting achievement for EVERY student through a Proficiency-Based system of education.

From: LeFerna Walch [mailto:jclamb777@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 7:43 PM
To: Ried, Krista (MDE)
Subject: Hello again...

Hello again...

I think I have emailed you a couple of times...  but I haven't gotten a response to my problem.  I told you that I prefer email to phone conversations so that I can keep record of the conversation after your first response, then I didn't hear back at all. (or at least I don't see a response in my box.)

Please tell me who can help me with this problem if you cannot.

I am employed by a staffing company called PESG, Professional Educational Services Group, which I have to go through to work as a substitute teacher in the districts in my area. They must apply for our permits to substitute teach, and then we are employed by them. I am not sure how it works, all I know is that they are not operating under proper standards of the Michigan Department of Education's newly adopted standards.

PESG tells me that my college transcripts are not being accepted because my four year college is not a "regionally" accredited college...  this is old information they have been given in a "manual" supplied to them by Michigan Department of Education for the 2012-2013 season.

The problem is this...  I believe their "manual" is not up to date— keeping me from my "right to work" in this state.

Correct me if my research is wrong, but this is what I base that statement on...
Michigan’s substitute teachers are governed by the MCSC. The Michigan Civil Service Commission.  Class 924 Item 75 which tells us the following information—

The Non-Accredited Colleges and Universities that were not satisfactory has grown so fast that the MCSC offers the following guidance by the CHEA on the acceptance of degrees that meet the educational requirements for positions in the Michigan State classified services.

Degrees and transcripts (the 90 credit qualification) issued by the institutions that are accredited by an accrediting body recognized in the database maintained by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) are typically accepted.

My college,  Full Sail University is nationally accredited by the ACICS... which is on the list as being accepted by the CHEA as of Sept. 2012.  This new information has not been relayed to PESG or added to their 2012-2013 manual.  This means that I continue to be a displaced homeworker even though I have over 90 credits into a college that the Department of Education has approved for financial aid for my education.


I live in Lenawee County, and they are currently in need of more substitute teachers. I should be working now.

Please tell me what steps I need to take next to bet my certificate to teach as a substitute teacher.

We have no income other than S.S. and I was looking forward to working for PESG.

Please help in any way you can.


Thank you


LeFerna Walch

Oh... so I can work with the handicapped... but not with "normal" kids????

I am really getting upset about all this.

My employer, PESG, can employ me to work with the mentally and physically handicapped as what they call a "paraprofessional" ...  a glorified title for a teacher's assistant... but yet they won't employ me to work with "normal" children.

Is this discrimination, or what?

Letter to the Department of Civil Rights

Letter to MDCR -

I could possibly have a discrimination complaint against the Michigan Department of Education who governs my employer, PESG (Professional Educational Services Group) here in Michigan. 

Could you please guide me as to which steps I need to take?

My name is LeFerna Walch. I am 57 and my husband Roger is 72. When my husband lost work and was forced into early retirement, I was considered a displaced homeworker. I couldn't get a decent job, (a minimum wage job that offered enough hours that I could afford the gas to get there) so I went back to college. I want to be a substitute teacher in and around my county. To do this, I needed 90 college credits and at least a 2.0 GPA (which I have a 3.5) and have to go through PESG, Professional Educational Services Group, who staffs the substitute teachers in most of the school districts in my area. As soon as I had 90 credits, I got a copy of my transcripts, I took all the tests, extra child education classes, had the background check and fingerprinting only to find out that PESG says Michigan will not accept my transcripts. They tell me they have to operate under the MDE rules in their manual—of what is required for a permit to teach in Michigan schools. The manual says we must have a qualified four-year university that is "regionally" accredited... my college is "nationally" accredited, so I am being denied the right to work because my college education is not accepted in Michigan. I received financial aid from the Dept. of Education (and will owe over 60,000.00) and the fact that it is not being accepted by the Michigan Department of Education seems unfair in the least.

I did some research, as I planned to fight this. And from what I have found out, I am hoping the problem is that PESG has outdated information in their manual from the MDE and all I need is a waver of some sort to show that my college is accepted. That is if they go by the Council on Higher Education's new list of accepted colleges now being used by Michigan's Civil Service Commission.

I see that Michigan’s substitute teachers are governed by the MCSC Class 924 Item 75 which now tells us the following information—

"The Non-Accredited Colleges and Universities that were not satisfactory has grown so fast that the MCSC offers the following guidance by the CHEA on the acceptance of degrees that meet the educational requirements for positions in the Michigan State classified services."

My college,  Full Sail University is nationally accredited by the ACICS... which is on the list mentioned and accepted by the CHEA as of Sept. 2012. This is why I think this could be new information that has not been relayed to PESG or added to their 2012-2013 manual.

I wrote to PESG with my findings and they can't do anything. They have to follow the manual they've been given, but they have employed me to work as a paraprofessional, only, missing valuable time and pay as a substitute teacher.

If the oversight is not the case, then I believe I am getting unfair treatment, since The Department of Education has loaned me money for a college education that Michigan Department of Education will "not accept" according to my place of employment, PESG.  Which leaves me to ask if the Michigan Department of Education is singling out certain civil service jobs (teachers) discriminating against college students that have gone to a "for profit" college instead of a "regionally accredited" college?



If this is not discrimination. What would it be? How am I supposed to pay off my college loans if I don't have the equal opportunity to work in this state?

Thank you for your time,

Sincerely,

LeFerna Walch

Okay... I think this is really strange that no one will talk to me or get back to me.

People don't know how to use email. So much for a recorded conversation! So I decided to go to "Michigan Works" to see how to make a discrimination complaint against the Department of Education. They gave me a toll free number...

And it was out of order!

Why do I want to be a substitute teacher?

People ask me why I want to be a substitute teacher when it is such an underrated profession that barely pays minimum wage in most districts.

Besides the fact that I love to work with, teach and entertain children,  I am a big advocate on getting bullies out of our schools and I think the best way to bring out the bullies in a classroom is to be a substitute teacher.  Don't you remember how the substitutes were treated when you were in school? I do, and it was "the mean kids" that were the worst. So this is a great way to identify them and try to give them that special attention they need.

It is my theory, or platform, that if a substitute teacher is armed with a healthy helping of child psychology and a good "bag of tricks" (*) you could really help minimize the adult bully population by catching them while they are young.  And like myself, some of the adults today that were picked on by bullies when they were young, might have more self-esteem and in many cases less mental issues. To bully is to abuse.

L



* A "bag of tricks" is what substitute teachers use to aid them in keeping order in the classroom so they can follow the scheduled lesson the teacher had planned while they were away.

Hmmm... Why doesn't anyone want to get back to me about this?

For some reason, everyone I have contacted won't get back to me.  It can't be that I am not giving them enough information. Maybe I just haven't found the right people that can help me yet.

Please, if you can find it in your heart to help me pass around the posted letter to share, I would really appreciate it!

L

Please share this letter...

Hello,

My name is LeFerna Walch and I am a new PESG employee (Professional Education Services Group) of Michigan. They are a wonderful organization, but still governed by Michigan Department of Education (MDE) that issues them a guidance manual to go by each year.  I went through all the classes (and extras) got my background check and fingerprinting done completing all the required substitute teacher training and was waiting my first assignment as a substitute teacher when att the last minute I was told that they could not accept my college transcripts because according to the MDE because my college was a nationally accredited college instead of a "regionally" accredited college.  You can only imagine how disappointing this was. I was looking forward to working with the kids SO much... I am still working through PESG as a paraprofessional until I can get this straightened out. 

Now, it looks like I have no idea how to get my Sub Certificate except to "fight for it?"

I was hoping to find someone who can help me with this... but so far I have just gotten a lot of people scratching their heads, not getting back to me, or getting tired of me and just brushing me off. I finally contacted a lawyer and I haven't heard back from them yet, either. So I must be striking up a good point, anyway.  My main question is how can my US Government's Department of Education allow Michigan's Department of Education to refuse a $60,000.00 education that they approved for the college loans for?

So far I have found that the job of substitute teacher in Michigan is listed as a Civil Service job (Class 924 item 75) and the MDSC said it now uses the Council of Higher Education or CHEA's list of accepted college accreditation services as their new guide for accepting college accreditation.  My college, accredited by ACICS was approved and added to this list September 2012.  So this could possibly mean that the PESG manual from the Michigan Department of Education is not up to date, or unfortunately, Michigan is stopping substitute teachers from being able to benefit from their college education by not accepting the college list of accepted accreditation that other civil service jobs do? Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't this sorta sound like discrimination to you? 

I think we would have a lot more qualified people willing to substitute teach if we could fix this problem. I don't think Michigan is the only state doing this. Other colleges are not willing to transfer credits from colleges of accreditation that is not "regionally" as well. I think we are getting into politics here... which was not my intent.

My platform is actually about finding and helping the bullies in our schools. I believe that we would have a lot less bullies in school if we had less bullies in our adult world. In order to stop this we need to find them and help them when they are young, and it is my thought that since substitute teachers seem to bring the bullies out in the classrooms... with the right teaching skills, they could be the ones to help a lot of these kids... based on pride and saving face, in most cases I think the bully would be more willing to learn from a teacher when they think they won't see that teacher again. So I do plan on furthering my education in the direction of child psychology... so it was very upsetting to hear that my own state won't accept the 90 credits I have earned so far.  

Like this Youtube video says; "I want to be a substitute Teacher!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHR83Z0QMhI

If you would like to publicly comment on this, or know of anything that may help, please contact me at the following blog address-

http://peabody4america.blogspot.com/

Thank you,

LeFerna Walch

http://www.youtube.com/peabody4america
blogspot.com/peabody4america

Letter to Lawyer

Dear Ms. Wilson,

My name is LeFerna Walch. I am 57 and my husband Roger is 72. When my husband lost work and was forced into early retirement, I was considered a displaced homeworker. I couldn't get a decent job, (a minimum wage job that offered enough hours that I could afford the gas to get there) so I went back to college. I chose a four-year "for-profit" university which is on the list as being accepted by the CHEA as of Sept. 2012.

I want to be a substitute teacher in and around my county. To do this, I needed 90 credits by what they first said was a four-year accredited college, and at least a 2.0 GPA (which I have a 3.5) but I had to go through PESG, Professional Educational Services Group, who staffs the substitute teachers in most of the school districts in my area.

I took all the tests, extra child education classes, had the background check and fingerprinting only to find out that PESG says Michigan will not accept my transcripts. They tell me they have to operate under the rules in their manual—of what is required for a permit to teach in Michigan schools. The manual says we must have a qualified four-year university that is "regionally" accredited... so I am being denied the right to work because my college education is not accepted in my state. I received financial aid from the Dept. of Education (and owe over 60,000.00) and the fact that it is not being accepted by the Michigan Department of Education seems unfair in the least. 

I did some research, as I planned to fight this. And from what I have found out, I believe this is old information that PESG has in their manual and it needs to be updated.


I see that Michigan’s substitute teachers are governed by the MCSC Class 924 Item 75 which now tells us the following information—

The Non-Accredited Colleges and Universities that were not satisfactory has grown so fast that the MCSC offers the following guidance by the CHEA on the acceptance of degrees that meet the educational requirements for positions in the Michigan State classified services.

My college,  Full Sail University is nationally accredited by the ACICS... which is on the list as being accepted by the CHEA as of Sept. 2012. This is why I think this could be new information that has not been relayed to PESG or added to their 2012-2013 manual. 

I wrote to PESG with my findings and they can't do anything. They have to follow the manual they've been given, but they have employed me to work as a paraprofessional, only.

I believe I am getting unfair treatment and should have been working as a substitute teacher by now. Lenawee County is in need of substitute teachers. It doesn't pay much... but I have lost a lot of money at this point.

Can you help me clear up this mess and see that the CHEA list is accepted as the MCSC says it should be? And help me get PESG an updated manual?


Thank you


LeFerna Walch

Letter to the Michigan Department of Education

I think I have emailed you a couple of times...  but I haven't gotten a response to my problem.  I told you that I prefer email to phone conversations so that I can keep record of the conversation after your first response, then I didn't hear back at all. (or at least I don't see a response in my box.)

Please tell me who can help me with this problem if you cannot.

I am employed by a staffing company called PESG, Professional Educational Services Group, which I have to go through to work as a substitute teacher in the districts in my area. They must apply for our permits to substitute teach, and then we are employed by them. I am not sure how it works, all I know is that they are not operating under proper standards of the Michigan Department of Education's newly adopted standards.

PESG tells me that my college transcripts are not being accepted because my four year college is not a "regionally" accredited college...  this is old information they have been given in a "manual" supplied to them by Michigan Department of Education for the 2012-2013 season.

The problem is this...  I believe their "manual" is not up to date— keeping me from my "right to work" in this state.

Correct me if my research is wrong, but this is what I base that statement on...
Michigan’s substitute teachers are governed by the MCSC. The Michigan Civil Service Commission.  Class 924 Item 75 which tells us the following information—

The Non-Accredited Colleges and Universities that were not satisfactory has grown so fast that the MCSC offers the following guidance by the CHEA on the acceptance of degrees that meet the educational requirements for positions in the Michigan State classified services.

Degrees and transcripts (the 90 credit qualification) issued by the institutions that are accredited by an accrediting body recognized in the database maintained by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) are typically accepted.

My college,  Full Sail University is nationally accredited by the ACICS... which is on the list as being accepted by the CHEA as of Sept. 2012.  This new information has not been relayed to PESG or added to their 2012-2013 manual.  This means that I continue to be a displaced homeworker even though I have over 90 credits into a college that the Department of Education has approved for financial aid for my education.


I live in Lenawee County, and they are currently in need of more substitute teachers. I should be working now.

Please tell me what steps I need to take next to bet my certificate to teach as a substitute teacher.

We have no income other than S.S. and I was looking forward to working for PESG.

Please help in any way you can.


Thank you


LeFerna Walch

Passing the Buck...

I contacted PESG—the staffing-type company, that I have to go through in order to be a substitute teacher in the schools and districts near me.  I advised them that in Sept of 2012... my college accreditation was accepted by the CHEA... Council of Higher Education (CHEA.org) and that the MCSC, The Michigan Civil Service Commission (which substitute teaching falls under as their Class 924 Item 75) claims to accept the validation of colleges other than just regional, that do in fact pass the standards required for Civil Service jobs.


PESG got back to me and said that they can't go by anything other than the manual given to them by the State... which is obviously lacking the new information.

This is what PESG's manual says ;

Substitute Permit

Requires the completion of 90 semester hours of satisfactory (minimum 2.0 grade point average) credit consolidated at one four-year regionally accredited college and university.

Applications for permits can only be completed and submitted via the MOECS by local and intermediate school districts, public school academies, and private schools. Individuals who meet the minimum requirements and wish to substitute teach should contact the district/school where they are interested in substitute teaching.

The substitute permit is valid for teaching in day-to-day substitute teaching assignments during the school year. This permit is not valid for any regular or extended assignment. (more than 90 calendar days). The substitute permit expires on August 31st of the given school year. The district/school may renew the permit each school year.


So it seems that PESG aquires a permit for me, and their information is not up to date in this manual that they are given.

So it looks like my next stop is finding out why the MOECS will not get back to me.

Mrs. Peabody will NOT give up!!!

L

Research

You know by now that I  have been researching and trying to find out why Michigan will not accept my college education when the Dept. of Education has loaned me over 60,000.00 to get it..

My research has turned up the following information.



In Sept of 2012... my college accreditation company was accepted by the CHEA... Council of Higher Education (CHEA.org)  and Michigan Civil Service Commission (MCSC)  is now going by the CHEA directory of approved college accreditation companies for acceptance.



See the attached directory.


Could it be that PESG hasn't been informed as to what NEW types of accreditation are accepted by the state, and  that The Michigan Department of Education is still leading PESG to believe that the colleges have to be "regionally" accepted...  It is still all over the internet... So I hope I have found a way to be accepted as a substitute teacher, but I may have to fight and prove it. So far Mrs. Peabody has gotten the attention I hoped she would.








Here is what I have so far...


Michigan’s substitute teachers  are governed by the MCSC. The Michigan Civil Service Commission.  Class 924 Item 75.

This is what they say; "The Non-Accredited Colleges and Universities that were not satisfactory has grown so fast that the MCSC will now follow the guidance of the CHEA on the acceptance of degrees that meet the educational requirements for positions in the Michigan State classified services."







Degrees and transcripts (the 90 credit qualification) issued by the institutions that are accredited by an accrediting body recognized in the database maintained by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) "are typically accepted."

 My college is nationally accredited by the ACICS... which is on the list as being accepted by the CHEA as of Sept. 2012, which you will find on the bottom of page 1 of the following list.

See Attachments



www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf

Where do I start?

I am not a very political person, so if I plan to crusade for my rights I need all the support I can get.  Until then, I have been researching the facts. I have sent Mrs. Peabody's video to the White House and will let you know what I hear back.

In my area substitute teachers and paraprofessionals (assistant teachers) go through PESG. The Professional Education Services Group. The last thing I want to do is blame them for any of this, because their hands are tied when it comes to Michigan's law that your college transcripts must be from a regionally accredited college... and not a nationally accredited one like mine. Most all of the districts are now using this service for placing substitute teachers... but whether they use them or not, it is the Michigan law that is stopping me from being able to use my college education and work for PESG as a substitute  teacher.

Professional Education Services Group, LLC

I think this is a good place to start. I need to know more about the law and just why I would be allowed to teach on a college level but not the elementary level. We are talking public schools of course.

http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-6530_5683_57223-247108--,00.html#General_1


I put a call in and asked them to get back to me through email so I could have record of our conversation. Doesn't look they want to do that. They want to me to call them instead.

I will post what I find out.

Mrs. Peabody

Mrs. Peabody was made by a wonderful puppeteer by the name of Fred Cowan in Indiana. I just purchased her at "Potlatch" The Great Lakes Puppeteer's Guilds festival. This was the first time I ever worked a Marionette.  I have a lot more respect for puppeteers!  Now if she can just help me with this substitute teacher problem... we have it made!

The State of Michigan...

Hello readers!

Meet the mascot of this blog. Marionette, Mrs. Peabody.

I am about to release this video that may or may not help me fight something that is happening in our country today that shouldn't be.  I have taken so many slaps in the face by the state of Michigan and they have treated me badly and gotten away with it for the last time! I will not take it this time. Usually I dust myself off and go on with my favorite saying; "All things happen for a reason!" But this is AMERICA! My family's dreams should not be continually shot down! And they won't! Not anymore.

To begin with, let me fill the readers in on what I have been through in this state of Michigan where I fell in love with my husband of 26 years (or I would have left it a LONG time ago!).  I will have to work around a gag order... so keep in mind this is only some of my bad experiences with the state of Michigan... just the things I can talk about.

We had a fire and lost everything. We were forced to live in a mouse-infested barn with raccoons that fell through the unfinished ceilings. This was only supposed to be for a few weeks, but we ended up fighting in court for ten years! My husband had lake property in the family since the early 50s and was forced to sell it so we could build a new home. During the investigation of our fire they accused my oldest son of arson. Being from a small town made matters worse, when we had scorned ex-girlfriend's parents telling the police that we had "red flags waving all over the place!" She didn't even know us, but this was enough to have all of us go through some terrible harassment and embarrassing investigation. The fire chief's son, a volunteer at our fire, told the girl working at the local video shop that they knew my son did it because his computer was taken out of his room! Not only slander... but so typical of a small town. I was told that they had some bad school sports blood between them. The reason my son's computer was removed is because he moved out and went to college and had his own apartment. Why wouldn't he take his computer?

We had to hire an arson expert to come in out of the state of Virginia (Michigan would not help us—conflict of interest they said) to investigate and the report proved that the fire was an accident and not arson. The state police ignored the expert's report but he was waiting to testify as an expert witness and it never went to court. But meanwhile they had accused my oldest son of the arson... embarrassed him around our small village by asking questions about him and they kept harassing him until the next thing we knew he had a terrible car accident and ended up with a severe brain injury and went into a coma. The doctors told the police that he would most probably die, so the police turned the blame to my husband. They took him in for the polygraph scheduled for my son, where they routinely lied to him and told him he failed when he didn't, put him through a long interrogation and left him scared to death! His EKG still shows a slight heart attack! He now has congestive heart failure. The worst thing was that they told him they were going to come arrest him! All lies, because he had really passed the polygraph! He was scared to death thinking if he was arrested they would take our younger son away from us because of the pour living conditions the insurance company left us in.

While my older son was at the University of Michigan Hospital he was abused by neglect. They allowed him to bite off the end of his tongue and they gave him five doses of medicine he was allergic to, ignoring his charts. The medicine made his fever spike to 106.5 and I was the one who would pack him in ice. I stayed by his side the entire time he was in the hospital, and even shared my recliner with my younger son so he would be safe with me. I couldn't trust what they would do next, since the doctors said he would be nothing but a vegetable the rest of his life... they didn't care what they did to him. But you see, his car was ran off the road at a high rate of speed causing him to crash into a church! And I knew in my heart, God would not let anyone die that crashed into a church!  And I was right. I watched miracle after miracle and my son learned everything for the second time in his 21 years– from sitting up to walking. He had to learn to talk, read and write...  And when he came home, we didn't even have a decent room for him to stay in because we were still fighting the insurance company!

My son lives with a brain injury now...and of all things decided he wanted to go back to college. How CMU ever let him come back in, I will never know. I had faith in him to do it, even at only part time status since he could only focus on one hard class at a time. They told him he wouldn't run out of financial aid, but after eight years he did. They never gave him the proper guidance he needed to plan out his path, so they just rushed him out the door with the first thing he could get his bachelors in... Majoring in Math and minoring in Chemistry. (With a brain injury) So after a couple years at home, he wasn't satisfied with his degree and went back to get his second degree in Chemistry. His dream job is to work at Dow so he moved to Midland to be close. He has had interviews but they will not hire him. It is no wonder, he slurs his speech with a bit-off tongue... and his balance is still awkward... so no one will hire him so he works at Walmart!! He owes over 85,000 in college loans and can't get a job.

When the economy took a dive, so did my husband's electrical work. Our new home was facing foreclosure. It was all we could do to keep our home. We had to put all our other bills on hold... and had no foreseeable way to pay them and catch up to clear up our crashing credit, because I couldn't get a job. I couldn't find a minimum wage job that would hire me for enough hours to make the price of gas worth the drive in from the rural area we live in. Then when I did find a job worth applying for they did a credit check and wouldn't hire me. I found myself asking how a person was supposed to be able to agree to any payment plans to get your credit rating back up, if they can't get a job because of it?

Being a "displaced homeworker" it was suggested that I take advantage of the Pell Grant and financial aid and go back to college. So at 54 years old, this is what I did. I studied and had classes every day, while trying to save our home. I worked with a community action agency... which by the way... we have a great county... it is the politics of the state that I am unhappy with.

Thanks to Obama's bailout plan, we were able to save our home, and the interest rate was dropped so that my husband's social security would cover the payment and tax and insurance escrow, with around 100.00 to spare. We have an offer in compromise with the IRS and they have excused us from capital gains taxes we couldn't pay and build a home... but the State won't excuse you from anything! So we give them that other 100.00 a month!

By the Grace of God, we have gotten by, as I am sure many Americans were in much worse shape that we were. I have sold a lot of my personal heirlooms, which was hard to let go of, from when my mother and father died just two days of each other.

So... I have worked very hard in college. I was already a huge history enthusiast as my family was in the Oklahoma land rush, and started the first telephone lines using barbed wire fences there. I have had college math, many psychology classes, business, communications and everything you need for what my college boasts as "Real World" education. Now I have a huge debt to repay, and I am just a few months short of my bachelor's degree. Carrying a 3.5 GPA I needed 90 credits to become a substitute teacher and that was my goal... what kept me going (at my age).  I love working with the children in Sunday school and could hardly wait to become a substitute teacher. Then after a few years, I was going to use my degree to further my education to work with children, possibly as a social worker.

Michigan goes through a company called PESG for their professionals needed in most of the school districts. Not all of them, but all the ones I can afford the gas to drive to anyway. It barely pays minimum wage, so that was going to limit where all I could work until I got a smaller economy car. My car was repossessed. Something that had never happened to me in my entire life! What a humbling experience to go from being a comfortable stay-at-home mom, to scraping for money to survive. Praise I was SO excited to get a job!

PESG are there to make it easier on the schools. They have you take all kinds of additional courses for working with children. You have to pass all these classes and their tests, then I had a wonderful seminar with PESG to prepare me for substitute teaching. Their added education was great. I was SO excited. I had a background check and my fingerprints taken and I was about to have a wonderful job working with children! WRONG.

This is the state of Michigan and they would not accept my college transcripts because it is from a nationally accredited college instead of a regionally accredited college! I asked if they would accept my bachelor's degree, and they won't accept that either unless I want to teach on the college level. Huh? Does this mean I wouldn't been able to use my degree to go on in my education here?

This is  crazy! You mean to tell me that the Dept. of Education will let you go in debt with a college education that Michigan will not accept?

So... I have been stewing about this for some time. I have been reading all the wonderful blogs there are on substitute teaching... and right now, my county really needs substitute teachers. And I am sure that this isn't the only state doing this, nor that I am the only one facing this problem... so the stew thickens for me.

My hobby is puppets. I am a singing ventriloquist that loves to hear the thrill and comments come from children when they watch a good puppet show with marionettes. I plan to use my puppets to teach music in Sunday school. I was looking forward to taking a puppet or two into my classes (if of course the school will allow it) to use as teaching aids.  I had my bag of tricks together and I was just waiting on the finale okay.  Now I am SO disappointed. I should be answering calls at 5:00 in the morning and being there for those children that need substitutes, right now!

I don't mean to sound so negative, as I feel a good positive attitude is important in life, especially working with children. But I have had it up to my strings!  I usually let God work those... (smile) but sometimes we just have to take action!

I have started a Mrs. Peabody for America Crusade... and hope that you will join me. The video will be up soon! And by the way, the name has nothing to do with anyone else by that name. I just liked it.


Thank you for reading, and I will try to keep you up to date on how things are going.  I would appreciate it if you share the video with everyone you know and follow my blog.

My best wishes-

And God Bless America!


LeFerna Walch