I have an M.Ed and five years teaching high school English, but I am not certified. The hoops for getting certified were so ridiculous I finally gave up. Doesn't matter that I have experience in the classroom teaching a range of subjects, ages 14 to 22, or that I have 2 master's degrees--even with a teacher shortage, the state makes becoming a teacher a burden and staying a teacher a bit of a nightmare. The fix is simple but requires political will and money: smaller class sizes, better pay, more autonomy in lesson planning and teaching. Props to everyone out there still teaching in US public schools!