Houston, I think we have a problem

I first got an inkling what the problem might be when I met with the head of the education program to discuss my applying.  As we talked I heard terms I was not familiar with and made a comment along the lines of “I don’t really know anything about teaching”.  She replied, “Don’t worry, most teachers don’t either”.  I was serious, I’m not sure she was.  The second inkling came when researching certification requirements – what exactly is highly qualified?  Why do I need to know the Arizona State constitution if all I want to do is teach math?  I have to take a what, an NES content certification in math, what’s that?  The last inkling was registering for classes when the title of the class doesn’t even make sense, Sheltered English Instruction; clearly the images in my head do not match the content of the reference book.  All I can say is this valley of education is wide and deep, and there are miles to go before I sleep.