Long-term subs inspire great interest within the school whenever they appear.

Living so close to the military-friendly Washington D.C., we have become accustomed to the constant comings and goings of people around us. I, as a military child, am particularly adjusted to making new friends, saying goodbye to old friends, and welcoming back returning friends.

However, this does not make it easier when a friend leaves – often it is even harder being left behind than going. But having a teacher leave in the middle of the semester not only requires a mental adjustment, but also academic adjustment. This transition also brings with it a whole host of different changes.

First of all, we have to adjust to a new routine with the long-term sub. It’s like the first day of school all over again. By the second semester we have usually gotten into a rhythm; we know how much homework to expect from each class, how hard tests typically are, how a basic class period is spent, etc. But when a new teacher comes in, everything is unknown once again.

Granted, many long-term subs work with the teacher they substitute for so that the replacement can go as smoothly as possible. Most substitutes are only there for a month or two, and hardly ever introduce drastic changes to the way things were run by the original teacher. However, it is still hard to lose a teacher. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge teachers who have to leave. I completely understand. Life happens, things change, people have to move. But that fact doesn’t make getting a new teacher any easier on the student. It’s quite a shock to the system when, after six months of routine, you are forced to start all over again. It feels like we’re back to September 7 and we once again are in new territory.

However, it can be rather exciting to get a new teacher. No matter if the teacher continues the old teacher’s methods, the new teacher invariably brings in a unique style to the classroom. The substitute teacher can also serve to revitalize the class, particuarly at the end of the year when enthusiasm is running low in the students who are anxious for summer and graduation.

For students who had trouble with the previous teacher’s teaching techniques, the new approach brought in the by the next teacher can often help the students with different learning styles grasp the concepts. This allows those students to breathe a sigh of relief around finals and AP testing when they get to learn and review material that they may better understand than before.

It is by no means a tragedy to have a teacher leave, it merely pulls us from the comfortable routine we have established and forces us to try something new – a task we rarely welcome with open arms. It is the daunting idea of change that causes us to approach long-term subs, or any change, with trepidation. Whether or not you like the, long term subs make a big difference.