By Stephanie Chiao
Staff Writer

A substitute teacher can be a welcome break for stressed students. However, when a substitute has to fill in for more than a few days, the useful interlude can become a race to catch up with the other classes.

“It’s difficult for a sub. You’re basically going to a class where you have to try and be enthusiastic…and try to teach kids who are accustomed to having one teacher who knows all of their habits. …[Substitute teaching] is probably one of the hardest jobs ever,” Counselor Tammy Esralian said.

Roy Sutton taught regular trigonometry in place of Robert Franklin for the last four weeks of the first quarter. Opportunity School teacher Katherine Robertson will be taking over Franklin’s position for the rest of the school year.

Two years ago, World Literature Honors teacher Carolyn McClelland, went on maternity leave for the last three months of the school year, leaving her students with replacement teacher Sean Knierim.

“Obviously in the beginning of the year the teacher has a connection with the students and they make that bond. We had to take time to do that again,” said senior Daan Stevenson, who was in McClelland’s class.

When a teacher is absent for long periods of time, students have to work hard to catch up.

Three years ago, Kande Becker, a Survey Literature teacher, had to leave the school due to her husband’s medical problems.

“We were behind all the other kids in the other classes. Then sophomore year it was so much harder. It was like a shock. I had gotten A’s all through junior high and freshman year, and then suddenly I was getting B’s and I didn’t know why. And it was because I had never learned to write,” said senior Maria Civilini, a student who was in Becker’s English class.

This year, Spanish teacher Maureen Schiffman will go on a maternity leave after the first semester.

“The only concern we have right now is the grading and the style of teaching. We might not be able to understand what they’re trying to get through to us. So we might be behind last year’s class,” said sophomore Cynthia Mendoza, a student in Schiffman’s class.

Teachers’ absences cannot always be avoided.

“It’s just kind of like the way [one runs] a business. People are out and you just do the best you can. It’s not optimum. But we can’t control those things sometimes,” Assistant Principal Christy Dawson said.