Substitute Teachers Need Better Support

* I am a retired Los Angeles Unified School District contract teacher and I am currently a substitute teacher for the same district. I’ve experienced many teaching problems mentioned in the article “Teachers’ Absenteeism Troubles L.A. District” (May 9), as well as the exhilarating rewards of teaching.

The article quotes facts and figures about the effect of teachers’ absences on learning in the classroom. It made valid points about salary cuts, work and contract conditions, education studies and the well-known difficulties and stress of teaching.

But the spin of the article also indicated that substitute teachers, better known as “subs,” play a major part in contributing to the lack of learning in the classroom. “They,” the article goes on to say, “often do not have the same training or experience as regular teachers and can face different behavior problems.” The head of the district’s substitute teachers division adds to the picture of ineptness when he is quoted as saying, “It’s not an uncommon complaint that substitutes are not as competent.”

Substitutes are seldom referred to as teachers. They are frequently introduced to the class as, “your sub for today is . . . .” Yet these itinerant teachers are faced with teaching challenges unlike contract teachers. They are faced with an array of different grade levels, different students, different or nonexistent lesson plans and an indifferent administration. The conditions under which they work are difficult. They are seldom given the professional credit and courtesy they deserve.

Students are quick to seize on this situation and test the limits of the replacement’s tolerance.

The substitute-teaching pool is composed of educated, certified, hard-working teachers who should be treated with professionalism and concern. They need backing from the school. Too many times, teacher assistants are not sent to the classrooms of absent teachers, which also hinders the replacement teacher and further disrupts continuity of instruction.

Students’ time with a substitute or replacement teacher could be a rewarding experience if the administration helped them instead of just saying, “Here’s the key to the classroom. Have a good day.”

LILLIAN MOLMUD

Sepulveda