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Substitute teachers play a necessary and valuable role in the education of Alberta’s students. That’s why the Alberta Teachers’ Association has designated March 9–13, 2009, as Substitute Teachers’ Week.
"Who are you today?"
Jonathan Teghtmeyer, ATA Staff Officer Government
At eight in the morning, the staff room at Edith Rogers Junior High School, in Edmonton, is not unlike many other junior high schools in Alberta. Teachers sit in chairs, sharing laughs, sipping coffee and relaxing before classes begin. Absent from the group is Ms Fitzpatrick.
Shortly before the bell goes, Kelsey Chalmers gets up from the group and heads down the hall to Room 24. "Who are you today?" a colleague asks. "I’m Ms Fitz," Chalmers replies.
Like all substitute teachers, Chalmers is an integral member of the teaching staff. "They are essential to our schools; we wouldn’t be able to function without them," says one staff member. Substitute teachers ensure continuity of learning while contract teachers are out of school because of illness, meetings, professional development or personal business.
Throughout the day, Chalmers’s importance to the school is difficult to ignore. Students stop her as she walks through the halls to say hi, to find out who she’s subbing for or to ensure she knows how "awesome" she is. The students always give the same reason for liking Chalmers—she cares.
And her strong rapport with students pays off in the classroom. When the 7Ds come in for homeroom, they are excited to see her. When it comes time to learn about author voice in language arts, they are attentive and engaged.
Chalmers graduated two years ago from the University of Alberta with a BEd (social studies major and English minor). Like many recent graduates, she is substituting while waiting to obtain a permanent placement.
Substitute teaching is a challenging occupation that requires a great deal of flexibility. With every new school, the substitute teacher must learn new routines, policies and protocols. One day a substitute could be teaching Grade 3 and the next day high school. One day it’s math and the next day it’s food studies or physical education.
For a beginning teacher, exposure to different placements has its advantages. "It opens up your subject areas. When I first started teaching last year, I figured I could teach social or LA, that’s it. Now, you can throw me into science, foods or anything. There are more things I would be comfortable and confident trying," says Chalmers.
Her teaching colleagues are grateful for her flexibility and enthusiasm, too. As Chalmers walks around the school at lunch, she is asked about her availability twice within a matter of minutes. The demands for her return are related to the enjoyment she gets teaching junior high. "There’s something about the age level of these kids. I love teaching junior high; I want to teach junior high for a long time," she says.
While she waits for that full-time teaching opportunity, Chalmers makes the best of every day she has in front of students. "If I can at least have that one moment when I know I reached a kid, then I know it has been a good day!"
Retiree enjoys the freedom
Stories by Koni Macdonald, ATA News
For retired Calgary teacher Cathy Welburn, substitute teaching provides a healthy balance between time in the classroom with students and time to pursue other interests, such as writing and travelling.
"I found it hard to let go of teaching," admits Welburn. "I just can’t let go of the attachment to walking into a classroom and meeting those lively students.’’
The main reason Welburn loves substitute over full-time teaching is that she can build her personal schedule around subbing. She also enjoys the variety and meeting new students and teachers. But what thrills her most is not having to write lesson plans.
"I like the stimulation of not knowing where I’ll be, what age I’ll be with or what subject I’ll be teaching," says Welburn. "One day I might be in kindergarten and the next teaching high school English. I enjoy listening to students’ stories without the stresses and demands of the profession getting in the way. It may seem trite, but a smile goes a long way. I hear many fascinating stories."
Not every day is challenge free, however. "Of course, some classes can be quite chaotic and some students can be rude, even aggressive," says Welburn. Fortunately, she says, days spent in unruly classrooms are rare.
Welburn has encountered some identity issues as a substitute. Once, she mistook a young principal for a student, and another time, she was mistaken for a stranger and escorted off the playground while she was doing supervision.
Substitute teaching has much to offer, especially for beginning teachers. "It gives such an overview of the school population and just what is possible to achieve in education—both the positives and the negatives—and from the perspective gained, new teachers would be able to choose where they would want to teach," she says.
Subs are vital role
"Mr. Baker, you’re our favourite substitute teacher."
"Yay! Mr. Baker’s here today!"
Comments like this are familiar and heartwarming to substitute teacher James Baker, as is the all-too-familiar elementary school student’s joke: "Do you bake cookies?"
Since graduating from the University of Calgary in 2000 with a BEd, Baker has worked almost nonstop on temporary contracts or as a substitute teacher for the Rockyview, Foothills and Calgary boards of education.
"Many teachers or principals call me to fill in for future dates," says Baker, "and I’m always pleased to be asked. Sometimes I’m torn between teachers or different schools, so I try to work on a first-come, first-served basis. The CBE offers the most flexibility, and Rockyview and Foothills have broadened my scope in teaching and challenged my skills over a broader rural area."
Subbing is demanding work, says Baker, and anyone considering the job should know that it requires patience, flexibility and stamina. "I teach students from kindergarten to Grade 12, cover examinations, play dodge ball, go on excursions. You name it."
Many aspects of the job appeal to Baker. Foremost among them is working with students, "many with eager faces," wanting to be his friend. Other positive aspects are working with interesting people, flexible hours, and the variety, challenges and rewards that come with teaching.
"I hear from principals, teachers and students who would like me to stay and teach at their school, so I know I fill a vital role for students and teachers in the Calgary area," says Baker. "And I know that substitutes serve an important function for the profession."
Substitute teaching has its rewards
When the phone rings early in the morning, Deb Sellers says it drives her husband nuts because she bounces out of bed as though the house were on fire.
Such is the life of a dedicated substitute teacher.
After teaching full-time in Didsbury for nine years, Sellers left her teaching position to raise a family. Between her first and second child, she was a substitute teacher in Calgary. In 2003, her family moved to Canmore, where she now works as a substitute teacher. Sellers is also the substitute representative for Rocky View Local No. 35.
The flexibility of substitute teaching appeals to Sellers. "When I know I don’t want to work the next day, I tell the sub coordinator ahead of time," says Sellers. "It’s up to me when to work. Some days, I need to clean my house—now doesn’t that sound like fun! I also have more time for other things, like coaching and volunteering, but best of all, I like being home after school and spending evenings with my family without having to prepare and mark every night."
Subbing isn’t easy work, but according to Sellers, it has its rewards. "I’ve had to learn a variety of courses and curricula, and I see how they interrelate." Equally challenging is educating students about substitute teachers’ professionalism. "It’s hard to believe, but some students don’t know substitutes are professional teachers. Once, a well-meaning student told me that I would ‘make a good teacher someday,’ and recently a student asked me if I ‘had finished school.’"
One of the scariest moments for Sellers was when she first started subbing. In one of her classes, an expelled student attended class pretending to be someone else. He was reported to the office by another student. "A school resource officer stormed into the classroom and hauled out the expelled student. Then the expelled student’s friends turned on the student who had ratted him out. So there I was, six months pregnant, trying to quell a fight after the officer left!"
Although she finds it a bit tough financially over the summer, Sellers says substitute teaching is rewarding. "I really enjoy getting to know, teach and influence young lives. It’s fun to watch them grow up. The students graduating this year were in Grade 7 when I started subbing in Canmore," she says.
Substitute teacher Debbie Sellers and two Grade 12 students from Canmore Collegiate High School
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