Today, I’m giving props to substitute teachers. Why? No particular reason. I just think they deserve some recognition. I remember the feeling that would rise through the class when we had a substitute, a kind of joy even if a good teacher was out. Because a sub is someone new, someone different, someone who might let you get away with throwing a balloon around class (or might not!).
You have to admit, they have a tough job. They go in to a class usually not knowing what to expect, have to follow someone else’s lesson plan. Unless it was an unplanned absence, in which case they have to wing it. And part of the skill in running a classroom is having a connection with the students. These teachers go in with nothing. They have to be tough and they have to be adaptable.
In my never-ending quest to relate all things back to the Simpsons, we can look at the nineteenth episode of season two, “Lisa’s Substitute,” where Mr. Bergstrom (voiced by Dustin Hoffman, credited as ‘Sam Etic’—really) says “…it’s the life of the substitute teacher. He’s a fraud. Today he might be wearing gym shorts, tomorrow he’s speaking French, or, or, pretending to know how to run a band saw or God knows what.” While they aren’t really frauds : ), the sentiment is correct. They are there one day, gone the next, which is really hard when you come across one that you really like.
One substitute I remember in particular is Mr. Harper. He was a good teacher and an all-around nice guy, a hell of a lot better than the sixth grade English teacher he was subbing for in both counts. Most important, he was someone who listened when you talked to him, not just heard what you said. Whenever anyone heard he was subbing for their class, they didn’t just get excited the teacher was gone. They got excited that Mr. Harper was there.
