Since the pandemic, the San Mateo Union High School District has suffered from a shortage in substitutes. When teachers are absent, substitutes can play a vital role in the classroom.
“I got into subbing because I read an article [in the Daily Journal about] the lack of teachers as a result of the pandemic,” said substitute teacher Stan Watkins.
Substitute teacher Kevin Greenwood, a part-time writer and musician, took on the job because he enjoys serving the community.
“I had retired from the insurance industry and I was looking for a way to give back,” Greenwood said. “I enjoy it because it’s a continuation of what I always did: taking care of clients. [Substituting] gives me a chance to try and do something to help.”
To be a substitute teacher, adults with a bachelor’s degree in any subject must receive a passing score on the SAT, ACT, CSET or CBEST and pass a fingerprinting scan. After completing these requirements, they obtain a thirty day substitute teaching permit, which allows them to substitute in any classroom from preschool to 12th grade.
“The county education department needs to review it and then through the evaluation process, you are selected as qualified to become a substitute,” Watkins said.
However, teacher absences can lead to students disobeying regular class rules.
“I feel like I have the authority of the teacher that’s assigned to supervise the classroom, but I don’t want to be viewed as authoritarian so that the students are unhappy — that makes [their] experience not conducive to good education,” Watkins said. “I tell the class that the students get to choose how they behave, but that I get to choose whether or not they remain in the classroom. If their behavior becomes disruptive, then I will call the dean’s office and have the student removed.”
However, experiences vary per class.
“It was kind of a break,” said junior Alyssa Burdick. “[Our substitute] gave us the whole period to do the assignments and I would say that most of the class did them. Nothing else really happened.”
Sometimes, substitutes struggle to adapt to each teacher’s unique style.
“Some teachers give very specific instructions,” Watkins said. “It’s almost like an army invasion plan. Some teachers give highly detailed plans, [and] some teachers don’t put any plans. It’s hard to [understand] exactly what they want.”
Nonetheless, substitutes are not the only ones subject to these confusions. Senior Beth Yeung, who hasn’t experienced a long-term substitute, describes the sometimes frustrating experience of having a substitute.
“I hated [having a substitute] because we never did anything, so I felt like it was a waste of my time,” Yeung said. “But I also like them because then I get time to either nap or do [personal] work … or watch YouTube.”
Sophomore Isabella Lew feels that the absence of a teacher for a long period of time impacts her learning.
“It was rough because math is like a go go go schedule and we have new stuff to learn every single day,” Lew said. “The day Mr. Reiss left [was the day] we started a new unit. So we had a new teacher for a new unit. We didn’t really know what was going on.”
Additionally, students miss the classroom environment their teacher cultivates.
“I think Mr. Reiss is still doing the work,” Lew said. “But we miss him because we would tell funny jokes and be funny sarcastically [in class].”
Another facet in this situation is that Reiss has different substitutes for his other classes.
“His other two classes have two different subs so that in total there are three subs subbing for Mr. Reiss, and so each of them have their own kind of different way,” Lew said. “So it’s good to collaborate with the other classes and your friends from those classes because you can see what you were missing.”
Regardless of the teacher absences, there have been various ways both students and substitute teachers have managed to make the best of circumstances and respect for each other.
