Substitute teachers have varied impact
Sarah Cheung
Staff Writer
November 2017
Staff Writer
November 2017
When teachers have a day off, so do many students.
Substitutes act as placeholders on days when teachers are absent, often resulting in classrooms of students missing out on a day or more of learning.
Teachers are absent for a variety of reasons, including sick days, emergencies, meetings, and staff collaboration days.
"Carlmont is lucky to have a pool of committed substitute teachers who are willing to show up with little notice and work with an unknown population," said Instructional Vice Principal Jennifer Cho. "Substitute teaching requires an adult who is comfortable walking into a situation with a lot of unknown variables."
Substitutes must be prepared to enter a classroom, take authority in front of students they are unfamiliar with, and potentially have to provide assistance on a subject they do not know well.
"Carlmont is lucky to have a pool of committed substitute teachers who are willing to show up with little notice and work with an unknown population," said Instructional Vice Principal Jennifer Cho. "Substitute teaching requires an adult who is comfortable walking into a situation with a lot of unknown variables."
According to Matthew Goulart, a long-term substitute at Carlmont, applicants for the position are required to have a bachelor’s degree in any subject, complete a background check from the district, and receive training in mandatory reporting.
“We go through most of the training that teachers go through but are not required to have gone through a three-year credential program. Long-term subs take a condensed credential program, which is a 45-minute course online,” said Goulart.
While subs are required to supervise classrooms, they are not always as helpful to students as their actual teachers are.
Some students find that substitutes can have varying levels of impact depending on what task the teacher has designated them.
Kyla Parks, a junior, said, “I don’t think it’s the substitutes that are effective or ineffective - it’s the lesson plans that teachers provide. The teachers don’t usually trust the subs to actually teach the class new material, so they end up playing a movie or assigning busywork. To me, it seems wasteful of our time and that being present in class is pointless.”
While an occasional day off may appear harmless, advanced classes that progress at an accelerated pace in order to be prepared for AP tests can be set back by teachers' absences or substitutes who are not sufficiently knowledgeable on the subject.
“I think that in high school, especially in AP classes, it’s helpful to have sub who has knowledge in the subject. That way, we aren’t missing a day of learning that could have prepared us for the AP test,” said Parks.
However, some teachers argue that they have no choice but to provide an easy lesson plan.
History teacher David Gomez said, "You usually have to plan something that's straightforward, like a film or quiet work that the students can do themselves. I would not want to leave a lecture for the sub to cover because it's not realistic to expect that they will teach it correctly."
Not only do many subs lack specific knowledge on the subject they are filling in for, but they may encounter issues with keeping the class focused.
Goulart said, "Of course, they don’t take you as seriously because you are not their real teacher, so you have to encourage them to stay on task, sometimes by offering incentives. They can be a little bitter at the fact that they still have to sit there and work even though they aren't learning anything new."
However, substitutes may have the ability to help students grow.
"A positive impact of subs is that sometimes they can provide a different outlook on a topic, even if they are not experts in the subject of the class. A sub may be able to better explain something to you that the teacher is not able to explain, or share insight on why the subject is important," said Goulart.
It can be unclear how potent substitutes are because different circumstances exist based on their abilities, tasks, and students' cooperation.
“I think it largely depends on the substitute teacher and the lesson plans a teacher leaves as to whether that sub has the opportunity to have an impact or not. Teachers are responsible for setting up their substitutes with whatever information and materials they may need,” said Cho.
Substitutes act as placeholders on days when teachers are absent, often resulting in classrooms of students missing out on a day or more of learning.
Teachers are absent for a variety of reasons, including sick days, emergencies, meetings, and staff collaboration days.
"Carlmont is lucky to have a pool of committed substitute teachers who are willing to show up with little notice and work with an unknown population," said Instructional Vice Principal Jennifer Cho. "Substitute teaching requires an adult who is comfortable walking into a situation with a lot of unknown variables."
Substitutes must be prepared to enter a classroom, take authority in front of students they are unfamiliar with, and potentially have to provide assistance on a subject they do not know well.
"Carlmont is lucky to have a pool of committed substitute teachers who are willing to show up with little notice and work with an unknown population," said Instructional Vice Principal Jennifer Cho. "Substitute teaching requires an adult who is comfortable walking into a situation with a lot of unknown variables."
According to Matthew Goulart, a long-term substitute at Carlmont, applicants for the position are required to have a bachelor’s degree in any subject, complete a background check from the district, and receive training in mandatory reporting.
“We go through most of the training that teachers go through but are not required to have gone through a three-year credential program. Long-term subs take a condensed credential program, which is a 45-minute course online,” said Goulart.
While subs are required to supervise classrooms, they are not always as helpful to students as their actual teachers are.
Some students find that substitutes can have varying levels of impact depending on what task the teacher has designated them.
Kyla Parks, a junior, said, “I don’t think it’s the substitutes that are effective or ineffective - it’s the lesson plans that teachers provide. The teachers don’t usually trust the subs to actually teach the class new material, so they end up playing a movie or assigning busywork. To me, it seems wasteful of our time and that being present in class is pointless.”
While an occasional day off may appear harmless, advanced classes that progress at an accelerated pace in order to be prepared for AP tests can be set back by teachers' absences or substitutes who are not sufficiently knowledgeable on the subject.
“I think that in high school, especially in AP classes, it’s helpful to have sub who has knowledge in the subject. That way, we aren’t missing a day of learning that could have prepared us for the AP test,” said Parks.
However, some teachers argue that they have no choice but to provide an easy lesson plan.
History teacher David Gomez said, "You usually have to plan something that's straightforward, like a film or quiet work that the students can do themselves. I would not want to leave a lecture for the sub to cover because it's not realistic to expect that they will teach it correctly."
Not only do many subs lack specific knowledge on the subject they are filling in for, but they may encounter issues with keeping the class focused.
Goulart said, "Of course, they don’t take you as seriously because you are not their real teacher, so you have to encourage them to stay on task, sometimes by offering incentives. They can be a little bitter at the fact that they still have to sit there and work even though they aren't learning anything new."
However, substitutes may have the ability to help students grow.
"A positive impact of subs is that sometimes they can provide a different outlook on a topic, even if they are not experts in the subject of the class. A sub may be able to better explain something to you that the teacher is not able to explain, or share insight on why the subject is important," said Goulart.
It can be unclear how potent substitutes are because different circumstances exist based on their abilities, tasks, and students' cooperation.
“I think it largely depends on the substitute teacher and the lesson plans a teacher leaves as to whether that sub has the opportunity to have an impact or not. Teachers are responsible for setting up their substitutes with whatever information and materials they may need,” said Cho.