OHS Journalism
Lillie Weiser
There are many necessary pieces of a school district that allow it to run smoothly for many years. One of those vital components that not many realize is substitute teachers. They are ready to step in at a moment’s notice for almost any class for any reason. One of the major reasons USD 322 is in dire need of substitute teachers, this year especially, is that many of the grade-school-level teachers are out on maternity leave.
Sarah Krause has been substituting in the Physical Education department every day for a few weeks and will be for many more as Head Volleyball Coach and PE Teacher, Jordan Boswell, is out on maternity leave with her new baby girl. Mrs. Krause has been a sub for Onaga for 8 years. She says that her favorite group to substitute is PE because “I have subbed for Jordan for all three of her maternity leaves, and I enjoy seeing all of the kids and the different activities every day.”
Jo Harris is another valued substitute in the USD322 system. She has worked for the system for 34 years, but only one of those as a substitute. Currently, she is subbing for 3rd grade teacher Justine Sperber during her maternity leave as well. Mrs. Harris said, “I think that every teacher should be a sub before becoming a teacher to know and understand how to organize and plan out their days for the substitute.” Jo thinks that it is more difficult to be a sub than a teacher because temporarily stepping in with little to no knowledge of what is happening within the classroom at that time is harder than having previous knowledge of the children, their learning capabilities, and their areas of study.
With so many necessary teacher absences throughout the school year, substitute teachers are an essential part of the district and help everything run like clockwork. As students, we greatly appreciate having somebody there to step in throughout the year and teachers also appreciate the ability to take some time off.