Sean Davidson,
Opinions Editor
There is a familiar ‘sigh of relief’ inherent to students – a little internal celebration – that we experience when we discover that a teacher is absent for the day and a substitute teacher will be filling in. We know that, most likely, a teacher’s absence means that production will nose-dive for the day, and students can instead socialize and fool around. Many of us assume a sense of anarchy in these times – sometimes entertaining, and on other occasions tastelessly absurd. Any authority that a substitute teacher claims to have is neglected or deliberately challenged. Substitute teachers – who are just as passionate about learning as regular teachers – are given the task of making sure that students don’t fall too far behind in their work and keeping control of any chaos occurring in the classroom.
Kay Timmis, who started her substitute teaching career in 1973, is known at NCHS as somewhat of a goddess for her kindness and wisdom and has become an icon among all the great substitute teachers. Over the years, she has learned the ins and outs of subbing and has a story to tell. “Back in 1973, we moved here from Illinois, and we needed some extra money,” Ms. Timmis said. “So, I signed up to substitute and I started at South school, then I went to the middle school, and then I moved to the high school. In that time I raised five children, which absolutely prepared me for being a substitute teacher.”
Ms. Timmis believes that the way to go about managing a class is not necessarily by ‘effective authority’, but rather by establishing yourself as a friend and ally of the class by making an effort to connect with them. “I learned that a good substitute teacher is not confrontational, and also has a sense of humor,” Ms. Timmis said. “They have to like kids too, of course. Very rarely have I ever asked an administrator to help control a class, because I feel that it is my responsibility to take care of the situation.” Ms. Timmis embraces an anti-Machiavellian ‘it-is-better-to-be-loved-than-be-feared’ maxim of leadership.
Ms. Timmis has fostered many generations of students through their education, and has experienced gradual cultural changes in the student body. Where exactly do we fall in comparison? “In the very beginning of my career, there was still a sort of ‘60’s attitude’ and the kids were much less polite,” Ms. Timmis said. “Now the kids are much more pleasant. What has changed most though, since I started here, is so many cultures are here now: we’ve got some kids who are muslim, jewish children, black children, white children. It’s so neat; I love how the melting pot is much better now than when I started out here.”
Even though we are relatively polite, according to Ms. Timmis, students today have all seen or perpetrated misbehavior in class under a substitute teacher’s supervision. Ms. Timmis reflected back on what upsets her most in the classroom. “There was one class here at the high school where everyone was being mean to each other,” Ms. Timmis said. “I’d never seen such a class; one where everyone was so unkind and out to get each other. So, I had to have a big talk with them. In school, you can’t like yourself if you’re cheating to get through, and you can’t like yourself if you’re picking on everybody. I want the kids to like themselves here and when they leave this school. It’s very disturbing for me to see people hurt each other, because kindness is the most important quality to have.”
According to Ms. Timmis, most cases of misbehavior under the supervision of a substitute teacher are not rooted in the student having truly bad character, but perhaps because of outside factors affecting their behavior. “There are many reasons why students may misbehave in class; maybe there are problems at home, maybe problems socially with their classmates,” Ms. Timmis said. “Sometimes I’ll see a student looking so sad, and I ask them, ‘are you ok?’, and you know that they aren’t. I suppose one of the struggles for substitute teachers is knowing that you are just there for them temporarily, and they won’t confide in you and allow you to help them.”
The job that substitute teachers do everyday is clearly much more complex than it seems on the surface and comes with greater demands than we may assume. It may seem like an easy and insignificant job when thought about in theory – at least when thought about simplistically – but unfortunately we don’t commit much thought to them. It is unfortunate that this lapse in appreciation exists. Many of us take the people who put up with our occasional lack of compliance for granted; people who really care about every student and their learning. However, Ms. Timmis feels that she and other substitutes do not need further gratitude for what they do. “I feel I get the respect I am due, but I am doing this because I enjoy doing it,” Ms. Timmis said. “I get as much out of this job as I give. I don’t think I need to be recognized. Sometimes when I walk into a class they’ll all cheer for me. That is embarrassing for me, because it might make other subs feel hurt. I think we substitutes are all nice and all alike in a sense.”
Even though the task of managing a class as a substitute teacher is very strenuous, Ms. Timmis thinks that it is the teachers who deserve respect and have the ‘tough job’. “I think it’s very hard to be the teacher; grading papers, making tests, and trying to teach everyone,” Ms. Timmis said. “My job managing them is hard only on occasion. We’re not teaching them as substitute teachers, we’re managing them.” So, calling one job ‘harder’ or ‘more respectable’ is impossible, considering we are not making a fair comparison.
At the end of the day, being a substitute teacher is not about recognition (although they deserve more of it) or management, but about appreciating the fundamental purpose of school– learning. “I have always loved school, I love learning,” Ms. Timmis said. “That’s why I like to come here; I always learn something and it’s always fun.” This love of learning is great enough to make any fiascos with misbehaved students worth it. They are kind enough to continue managing us, the bad apples and all. Ms. Timmis has seen it all before and understands the position we are in. Once upon a time, substitutes were students too.
