Have you ever walked into a class and cheered because you had a substitute teacher? Very relatable, because you know you are going to have an easy class. But how much do you actually know about the substitutes at Harrison? Chances are, you’ve had a substitute teacher countless times throughout education, and you don’t know a single thing about them; you might not even know their name. But what if you took a minute to find out who these subs really are? You might just learn something interesting.
There are a number of substitute teachers at Harrison, and while we wish there were more, we are grateful for those who consistently accept sub jobs at our school. What makes a great substitute teacher? We surveyed Harrison students, and they overwhelmingly agreed that the most important quality for a substitute to have is for them to be chill. With the teacher gone, most kids expect to have an easy day. The survey went on to find that students want subs who are nice, funny, and ones who let you talk. With the teacher gone and some assignments to do, many students just want a chance to talk, a nice and funny substitute is just a bonus. Students believe the least important quality for a substitute teacher to have is the ability to control the class. Students may not want to feel controlled by a substitute; they just want an easy, relaxing bell to help get through the stress of the regular school day.
When we think of subs, a lot of us never think about what could be going on outside of their lives in the building. Many subs like the flexibility of a substitute schedule because it allows them to also do other things professionally, and several of our subs have interesting things going on. We all know and love Mr.Oberjohann as a substitute teacher. When he isn’t covering classes, he spends his time on his business, a tech company called PROVECTUS. The company has been in business for 32 years! Another one of our subs, Mr. Dubarry, is a priest at Addyston Baptist Church. He moved from Illinois and decided subbing was the best thing to do in his free time. He also substitutes at Three Rivers, he has subbed at Oak Hills, and he was a building substitute at Princeton during the COVID pandemic.
One of the benefits of being a substitute is the amazing stories subs have to tell about their time in schools. Mr. Oberjohann said that one day, he was subbing, and the teacher had told him to give the students a quiz. A kid got up about 30 seconds after the quiz was handed out, and turned it in. Curious, Mr. Oberjohann decided to look at it, and there was just a big red ‘X’ on the paper with the word “No” written on the top. Of course, Oberjohann found this absolutely hilarious, but the student did have to end up re-taking the test when the teacher got back.
One thing you might have wondered, do substitutes actually like their job? We won’t keep you in suspense: our subs like being in your classrooms! Mrs. Faye, Mr. Kiger, and Mr. Oberjohann (all fan favorites) shared how much they really love their jobs. Mrs. Faye said “every day is always different, but it makes me feel good to help students.” Mr. Kiger said “of course I love subbing, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I especially love going to classrooms where the students are nice.” And Mr. Oberjohann said “I love [subbing]! I love working with you guys, talking with you guys, and boring you guys with dad jokes!”
As much as students love Mr. Oberjohann’s jokes, there are some other substitutes that stood out to them as well. Our poll results show that students rated Mr. Oberjohann as the favorite sub, with Mr. Hartman being a very close second. Mrs. Faye and Mr. Kiger also received many votes.
Students may have their personal favorite, but we are grateful for all of our subs. If you don’t know your substitute, start a conversation with them. Learn about them and what they do outside of school, and most importantly, be kind towards them. Have fun with your teacher out, but don’t cause havoc in the classroom–we want our subs to enjoy their time in our school and come back over and over again.
