Lending schools a hand during COVID by signing up to sub
October 24, 2020 | By Torrey Carroll Smith
I'm not sure if you have heard, but our local schools are desperate right now for substitutes. Where normally we would have a pool of 80-some people to draw from as we head into cold season, we currently have about 15 — for all six schools in the district. I am writing to see if more community members might be able to fit this into their lives right now.
I have been subbing for the last few weeks, signing up for two days a week. So far, I have filled in to teach science, math, art, music and PE at Thatcher Brook Primary School, Crossett Brook Middle School and Waitsfield Elementary. I've also helped out wherever needed — helping with lunch or recess duty, stuffing envelopes, re-shelving books in the library.
Here are a few reflections I can share so far:
I have always felt COVID-safe because of the many safety protocols in place and the careful way that people are both enforcing and adhering to them.
Seeing the kids together — interacting, learning, just being kids — is an incredible energy boost for me after so many months of relative isolation.
The work is not easy, but it does feel like a way that I can help. A friend compared it to starting a victory garden in days past — it's a small thing I can do personally that will help support our larger community getting through this as hale and hearty as we can.
It has been deeply inspiring to see the creative approaches and remarkable work that has gone into re-organizing school so that it can be fun, educational and safe for everyone in this unprecedented time. The demands on staff have been incredible and the dedication of staff and students in getting this to work is just awesome.
Already there is a lot of scrambling to cover gaps that have arisen when staff can't make it to school because of their own sickness or that of their kids. I've seen teachers taking extra duties, principals teaching classes and serving lunches, instructional assistants wearing even more hats than usual. Everyone is bending over backward to fill the holes, but the pace isn't sustainable and not all the gaps can be closed even now.
As we head into cold and flu season, not to mention the ongoing threat of the coronavirus, if we don't get more substitutes it will be increasingly difficult to keep schools open. We really need all the help we can get.
It is easy to apply to be a sub: you fill out some paperwork to get a background check, fill out an application, and should be ready to go once the background check comes back. You are able to choose which schools you work in and which days. The pay during COVID is $140/day.
If there is any possibility you can help out, please get in touch with Laura Titus in the district's central office. Her email is ltitus@huusd.org. Thank you for considering!
Duxbury resident Torrey Smith is a parent of students at Crossett Brook Middle School and Harwood Union High School and is vice chair of the Harwood Union Unified School District School Board.