A bouquet for substitutes

Recently, four Deseret Morning News education reporters went back to school — as substitute teachers.

Talk about an education.

Reporters Jennifer Toomer-Cook, Stephen Speckman, Tiffany Erickson and Laura Warner taught three days each in four different school districts along the Wasatch Front. Their experiences were chronicled in a report published Sunday, Dec. 5, titled, "Subs: Reporters find teaching a learning experience." (Go to deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595109958,00.html)

The shorthand version of their experiences is that substitute teaching is immensely challenging but highly important considering that Utah children will spend nearly one academic year with substitute teachers before high school graduation. Students who attend schools in impoverished neighborhoods will be taught by substitute teachers more often.

Education reform movements such as the federal No Child Left Behind Act demand more of students and their respective schools. As such, more is expected of substitute teachers.

The good news is many school districts have a dedicated pool of substitute teachers. While some do it for the pay — about $60 a day along the Wasatch Front — others do it because they enjoy the challenge and they believe they have something to offer.

The bad news is, there are few job benefits and precious little preparation for the job on a whole, let alone each particular day's demands. For instance, "(Tiffany) Erickson's training consisted of a handbook and instructions to report to jobs 15 minutes early for orientation — which was, 'Here's your room number; here are the rolls,' " the team wrote.

But some districts provide more structured training. Granite School District's mandatory all-day course includes instruction in classroom management, planning and teaching techniques. The course costs $25, paid by the substitute.

Even armed with some basic training, their own public school experiences and university degrees, our reporters learned the hard way that substitute teachers must adjust quickly to new situations, keep calm no matter what the students toss at them (literally and figuratively) and think on their feet.

We would encourage public officials such as elected school board members and legislators to likewise set aside time to substitute teach and learn first-hand about the conditions and challenges in Utah's public school.

For the most part, our education reporting team was better for the experience, but all have opted to keep their day jobs.

Collectively, they have a whole new appreciation for what is a very important but thankless job. We trust our readers do, as well.