Kiera Valente ’13 | Staff Writer

There are many reasons why a teacher can be out of the classroom for an extended period of time. Because of this, finding a long term substitute has become a regular act for South’s staff members .

“At the board office Deb Fuga helps coordinate unless we have someone we know in mind,” said science department head, James Adams.

Deborah Fuga has been working as the sub coordinator for the district for four years, Fuga said.

“What I do as a sub coordinator is work directly with teachers and all staff regarding pending absences,” said Fuga. “I then match up substitutes who would be qualified to fill the position of the absent employee. I also deal directly with the subs in regards to hiring and ensuring that they are paid for all jobs worked.”

Finding a substitute teacher is trouble in itself, but finding a long term sub is even harder, Adams said.

“The idea is to find someone who knows science,” said Adams. “Someone who is certified in or majored in what they are teaching. If they aren’t certified we make sure they have a good background in what they are teaching. It is hard because we can interview them but we’ve never seen them in the classroom.”

This year especially there have been many teachers absent for long periods of time, Adams said. Among those are science teachers Lisa Maddens and Ranae Beyerlein.

“I really enjoy working here at South,” said Maddens’ sub, Thena Hedglin. “It is a nice atmosphere and the students are really nice.”

Previous to Hedglin’s arrival in the classroom, students had spent the last few months with another sub, Michael Daher, Hedglin said.

“For someone to teach over a certain number of days they must be certified and because of that they had to replace Mr. Daher,” said Hedglin.

This summer, for the first time, South will be offering chemistry during summer school, Adams said. It could be speculated that part of the reason why students are struggling so much this year in chemistry is because of the changes in teachers.

“(We are offering chemistry during summer school this year) as an option for students who had a hard time with the changes this year,” said Adams.

There has always been a need for long term subs and classroom assistants in South.

“I had very nice experiences both times (I subbed),” said classroom assistant and former long term substitute teacher Ronda Mills in an e-mail. “Both teachers left me with clear objectives as well as good materials and resources to build lesson plans with.  And in both cases, the teachers in the departments were always willing to share any ideas or advice.”

After finishing up her time substituting Mills was hired by the school to be a classroom assistant, Mills said.

“If we find a sub we like we may hire them,” said Fuga. “Subs are one of the biggest ways we find people to employ.”

If a long term substitute teaching assignment is less than 90 days, the sub must have a background in the subject they will be teaching, Fuga said.

“If the assignment is longer than 90 days they must have a teaching certificate and be endorsed in that particular subject,” said Fuga.

Having a new teacher in the classroom after months of learning from someone else can have a major affect on students, Adams said.

“If the teacher transitions it well then there is little affect in the classroom,” said Fuga.

This is true for a lot of students, including Scarlet Cockell ’13, who was a student in Beyerlein’s chemistry class.

“Having the sub didn’t actually hurt my grade at all,” said Cockell. “In fact, I think it helped me. It taught me that I cannot always rely on my teacher to be there and that I’ve got to be able to manage on my own.”