Special substitutes

A vivid, 70s-themed banner that read, “Thank you for movin’ and groovin’ with us,” was hung near the entryway to the school.

It was a celebration to honor the building’s substitute teachers, and one staff members at the school felt was long overdue.

Ellerhoff was both amazed and deeply appreciative.

“I have subbed in this district for 17 years, and I’ve never had a building do this,” she related.

The idea to host a “Substitute Teacher Appreciation Day,” which took place April 28, was that of special education teachers Delinda Card and Theresa Wainwright as well as associates Tiffany Barr, Megan Cahill, Tesha Fischer and Kim Lueders. 

One day, the group was talking about how much they appreciate the subs’ service and dedication to education. 

The intermediate school had some long-term substitute openings and luckily, people stepped up to help fill those positions.

So, they decided a day dedicated to those same people who ensure there are no interruptions in students’ education was in order.

Intermediate school principal Spencer Lueders said he could not have agreed more.

“It was an all-hands on deck kind of approach that made this happen,” Lueders said, “we want our subs to feel valued. The work they do is so beneficial to us … we just wanted to do something to thank them for that.”

Lueders said schools experiencing a shortage of both teachers and substitute teachers is a common trend in today’s educational landscape. 

The intermediate school has been lucky, Lueders noted, to have had some devoted people answer the call whenever it comes.

Or, as it works these days, the text.

“Our subs know what it’s like to get texts from me early in the morning,” he said. “So many have been consistent in helping us not only make a positive impact on the students, but also on the teachers.”

Filling the voids

Two substitute teachers who Lueders said went above and beyond and joined together to help fill the void in the school’s vocal music department this year were Kristin Fielding and Rachel Nelson.

The pair, who split the long-term music sub position, worked together to make sure there would be a fourth- and fifth-grade spring concert this year.

Fielding insisted they could not have done it without the help of trained music teachers Kristan Mitchell from Ekstrand and former intermediate teacher Heidi Streets.

“I attribute the success of the spring program to the students, Central DeWitt Music Department and to the support of teachers and staff,” Fielding related. “(Mitchell and Streets) led these students in many successful music programs previously, so Rachel and I followed the pattern the students were familiar with. Kristan supplied us with the music and support we needed, (director of high school bands) Josh Greubel attended to the tech support and the classroom teachers supported us with extra practice times and logistics. Rachel brought enthusiasm and leadership that I very much appreciated. We made a great team and had fun working together.”

Fielding, who lives in DeWitt and subs about three days a week, said she loves supporting the students and teachers. An environment of learning and growth, she noted, is a good one to be in.

Lueders said many of the intermediate school subs were, at one time, full-time teachers in the district.

Ellerhoff is one of them and is in her 50th year of employment with Central DeWitt Schools. For 33 years, she was a classroom teacher for grades four, five and six in Welton, Grand Mound and at Ekstrand. She said she “retired” in 2006 but has continued to sub and tutor students for 17 years.

Ellerhoff stated the substitute teacher supply has been especially short this year. There also is a lot more to filling in for teachers than people might assume, Ellerhof said.

“Substituting requires energy, flexibility and keeping up with the trends in the curriculum,” she noted. “The teachers spend a great deal of time preparing for a ‘guest teacher,’ so we try to follow those plans plus add our own special touches with games and favorite books to read.”

Service does not go unnoticed

Ellerhoff said she loves to see former students flourishing in the community and finds it gratifying to sub for teachers who once were her students.

Substitute teaching in the same district in which she worked for decades has been a rewarding experience for Ellerhoff. However, the fact intermediate staff went to so much trouble to show their appreciation to her and her fellow subs was the icing on the cake.

“Subs always have been welcomed by the staff at special events during the school day,” she shared. “However, ‘Appreciation Day’ at the intermediate school was ‘especially for us!’”

Barr said with the shortages of substitute teachers in education, they are needed now more than ever before. With this being the first year for Substitute Teacher Appreciation Day, they wanted to start small and include subs only from the intermediate school.

However, the intent is to make the celebration an annual event.

“Our goal is to have subs feel appreciated for giving us their time throughout the year,” Barr shared. “We want to do this for them so they come back, and so they feel appreciated and know their service does not go unnoticed.”