I Solemnly Swear

I, Miss N, do solemnly swear, (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey, and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and in this State, under the authority of the people.
I did, in fact, swear that today (substituting the screen name with my legal one). That oath is part of the “Oath of Allegiance / Verification of Accuracy” form, which is one of the requirements of teaching certification. It’s actually a 4-part document:

A) Personal information (address, etc.) and the certificate you’re applying for (In my case, that’s code 1900 - Mathematics Certificate of Eligibility)

B) The actual oath; you just fill your name into it. There are actually two options: one ending with “so help me God” and one not

C) Two “Yes” or “No” questions about having had certification revoked, and your criminal history

D) Certification that “all statements and information provided herein are true and accurate.”

The PDF can be downloaded here:
http://www.nj.gov/education/educators/license/forms/verify.pdf

This form must be notarized, which is actually pretty easy in NJ. Most banks have notary publics, so I just ran over to the branch next to my office during lunch. The notary has to watch you sign it, but the rest can be filled out beforehand. A driver’s license is sufficient ID, and sometimes they’ll ask for your debit card to verify that you’re a customer.

That was actually the last piece of documentation that I needed; now I just have to get everything into an envelope, double-check it, and drop it in the mail!