If you want to teach anyone in grades K-12 anything in this country, a Ph.D. is inadequate. There are gatekeepers and they pose a series of challenges to anyone who dares become a low paid employee of the state. One of the gatekeepers is ETS. A testing "service" in New Jersey. Teachers in training are required to pass 3 exams before they can be state certified. The first of these exams is given this Saturday. I thought I'd take a stab at it. The first exam is a silly one. They'll ask a series of questions on subjects like grammar, reading comprehension, algebra, geometry and I'll have to write something more than my name. It will last 5 hours and I'll busily fill in the dots to prove to them I can take a test. Armed with only a few Dixon Ticonderoga No. 2s, off I go. Wish me luck.