Stand up for Boston students – be a substitute teacher

I invite you to join me — if only for a day — in the best job a person could have: teaching. This year we are back to in-person learning, a goal for which the teachers have long strived. However, many teachers with underlying health concerns took leaves of absence. Some teachers in their 60s took early retirement. And the rest of us often have to take time off to either care for our own children and/or to quarantine due to close contact situations.

This year the Boston Public Schools is in great need for both short- and longterm substitute teachers. The need for substitute teachers in some schools is desperate as they need coverage for one in five classrooms.

Therefore I ask my fellow Bostonians to substitute for at least one day in our schools. Applicants can choose what days they work, where they work, what grades or subjects they would cover. Such selectability allows applicants to tailor their work with their personal responsibilities. Let me assure you, whatever time you have available, the BPS will have a spot for you.

Our traditional substitute pool is retired teachers. This year that pool has all but dried up. Concerns over COVID keep many of our retirees at home. Those who are still subbing are not enough to fill all of our vacancies.

So who can help us now? I believe we have untapped resources in our local universities and in the Boston business community.

When the pandemic burst upon the scene in 2020, many medical and nursing students were fast-tracked into full-time positions to meet the sudden and enormous need for more doctors and nurses. I am asking the local schools of education to do the same right now to help us fill our vacancies. The colleges have eager aspiring teachers. Putting the two together is a classic win-win.

I am also calling upon the Boston business community. Over the years, many businesses have used their corporate retreat time for community building. They come into our school for a day of service. Such days traditionally entailed painting classrooms or helping to plant a garden. This year, why not come into the classrooms and share your knowledge with our students?

Accountants could come into a math class and tell the students how what they are learning now could lead to good jobs later. Graphic designers could tell students how art and computer science classes blend into an exciting career. Students love hearing from adults in their community. Such contact makes their learning tangible instead of theoretical.

You could talk about how you got to your current career — was it what you always wanted to do or did you take many roads on your journey? If you have seventh or eighth graders, share your hobbies, your travels, your culture — this age craves exposure to the world around them. If you are in an elementary school you can read your favorite book, talk about your favorite games as child, bring your best Dad jokes — these kids just want to feel like you like them.

If you are worried about what substitute teaching would be like and would you be good at it, let me assure you that all you need is an open mind and a kind heart. When you enter the school building, you will be given a substitute folder. In it will be all the materials you will need for the day: seating charts, class lists, assignments and directions.

My own career began as a substitute teacher. I wasn’t quite Glenn Holland in “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” but I was a young man who thought substitute teaching would be a good way to earn some money while I studied for law school. And like Mr. Holland, I fell in love with a job I never knew I wanted. Twenty-eight years later, I can tell you that I love the job more now than on day one. I invite you to experience this joy for yourself.

Substitute teaching in Boston is not volunteering, you will get paid. If you work one day at a time, the pay is $170 per diem. If you work in the same class for a longer period of time, greater than 25 school days, the pay increases to $330 a day.

So go to bostonpublicschools.org/jobs and help our schools, ours students and our teachers. We need you now more than ever.