Oh, the irony.

Rep. Roger Koopman, seeking a way to reduce claimed teacher shortages, introduced a bill that would allow school districts the opportunity to certify individuals to teach temporarily in their districts.

"Teachers, school officials and state's schools chief Linda McCulloch" all opposed the bill. This opposition presumably rested, in part, on an assertion that these non-state certified teachers would lack the professionalism of the members of the present education establishment: "This bill would allow districts to hire anyone to teach their children," said a Missoula teacher. [Emphasis mine]

In the interests of preserving that professionalism, and in demonstrating the open mindedness characteristic of a quality education, opponents from the teaching profession acted in a way that was "if not childish, [was] beneath the standard of decorum expected of the state's educators."

Oh, the irony.