When envisioning a team sport like soccer, the first illustrations that come to mind are its intensity and fast-paced nature. For example, as soccer athletes eventually wear out from running back and forth, subs on the sidelines are always there to alleviate them. This system demonstrates the efficiency of having a team large enough to fill vacancies at all times, no matter the activity or profession. However, quite recently, the busy “pseudo soccer game” of managing in-person instruction with a new COVID-19 variant has caused faculty absences due to exposures or other personal reasons, resulting in a large demand for subs that are in short supply.
With the virus’ unpredictable nature, these events always seem to appear spontaneously, meaning a more extensive pool of subs would be needed to accommodate this crisis. Unfortunately, with the current status of the education labor dilemma experienced nationwide, schools, especially at Claremont High School, are left with implementing a self-selected system within its own staff. Teachers at CHS have become accustomed to receiving a daily email in the morning pleading for them to sub during their preparation periods.
David Chamberlain has spent approximately 22 years teaching at CHS. Despite this stellar record, this is his first year as a teacher-turned-sub in his 2 decades of experience. On January 6, 2022, Mr. Chamberlain received a pressing email from Dr. Mitchell, the assistant principal, that was addressed to the entire staff at CHS. As Mr. Chamberlain paraphrased, Dr. Mitchell claimed in the email that, “We have a severe shortage and need all the help we can get”. Knowing that he had preparation periods during fifth and sixth periods, Mr. Chamberlain opted in to assist the school.
“I would rather be grading my essays during my prep period,” Chamberlain said. “I covered for Mrs. Viegas’ class, and I don’t know anything about Spanish 1!”
These shifts in schedules directly affect students since teachers are nearly guilted into subbing during periods usually spent grading assignments, crafting lesson plans, or even just resting after instructing back-to-back classes. As teachers bounce from classroom to classroom all day, lessons become much less dynamic as the day progresses due to fatigue. From Chamberlain’s observations, it seems like none of his colleagues are content.
Although teachers feel quite burnt out by these present circumstances, they continue to assist the administration by serving as a sub because it offers a valuable incentive for them. For example, in Chamberlain’s case, the idea of losing valuable preparation time does not seem ideal. However, by adding in a stipend to the job, subbing in for teachers becomes much more appealing. Although the stipend remains enticing for teachers, Chamberlain suggests that Claremont Unified School District should pay substitutes more to attract more subs in a depleting workforce.
“If I were a substitute teacher, I would go to Pomona because you can make $100 more each day,” Chamberlain said. “We could make a difference by increasing the sub pay rate.”
While there are certainly burdens experienced by the teaching staff at CHS, students have noted that this dilemma has severely impacted their learning environment. When meeting with the School Site Council, Viraj Urkudey, current CHS senior and Student Vice Chairperson, exclaimed in an interview that pressing dilemmas needed to be addressed by the school were abruptly halted due to the sub shortage. These essential meetings typically run from 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM, but it was quickly altered at 7:25 AM because a handful of teachers had to leave to go sub in for absent teachers.
“We usually talk about school wide issues,” Viraj said. “But when the teachers left, I had to take over the meeting without their inputs on these subject matters.”
Instead of furthering the School Site Council’s discussion on schoolwide issues, Urkudey had to cover for the teachers and lead the meeting without their valuable input. The sub crisis is affecting not only the classrooms, but also the administration team at CHS.
Looking into the future, it is important for the student body and staff to continue to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as this virus is arguably the largest accelerant for this sub shortage. It is in the students’ and teachers’ best interest to remain safe to keep CHS cohesive. Hopefully, as time progresses, our “pseudo soccer team” will grow in numbers to eventually have a cohesive sub pool available for teachers at Claremont High School to help all CHS students successfully score goals.