Students should take advantage of Costa’s staff

By Keeley Parker
Staff Writer

Whether for the short or long term, substitute teachers have the potential to be just as skilled as the normal teacher; however it is the student’s choice if they want to make it effective. While substitutes are in both the short and long-term, three teachers in the Mira Costa Science Department are expected to go on maternity leave and will be temporarily replaced with long-term substitutes in the 2015-2016 school year.

Substitutes are currently well-evaluated and will be just as well-versed in the subject as the normal teacher. Suitable substitutes have already been found for the Science department for next year. They are required to submit an application, meet with the current teachers and principal, and have been approved by the department chair. These substitutes will not detriment the learning process unless a student chooses not to respect them.

According to Principal Ben Dale, the problem is that many times Costa asks teachers to teach out of subject. But he believes that either way, the students get someone who is really experienced or is getting into the profession. Costa has been lucky to employee retirees and those fresh out of school and whom offer diverse learning strategies. The majority of substitutes at Costa are retired teachers or teachers newly out of school, which guarantees knowledge in teaching proficiency. It also helps that these individuals already know how to teach.

One of Mira Costa’s AP Bio teachers Jessica Bledsoe will be out for a full semester. Due to the rigor of an AP course, the substitute is being sent to the Summer Institute to become certified in AP Bio and will also work closely with the other AP Bio teacher, Danny Sponaugle. This will ensure that the students will not fall behind in the course load and will be readily prepared for finals and AP testing.

According to Karen Cunningham, teachers at Mira Costa are required to create new tests based on what they have already taught to ensure students are not tested on what they do not know. Whether a class is an AP or not, students will not fall behind in their classes. Unless students actively choose to disregard their substitutes, the lessons will be just as demanding.

While some students share the belief that unique teaching strategies will be forfeited due to substitute teachers, the district has chosen substitutes that are more than capable of teaching next years students. The substitutes for AP Chemistry and French have both previously taught a class in their respective courses. The students in these classes will be assured a valuable source of knowledge and mentorship.

Substitutes should be seen as less of an impediment and more of an opportunity to gain a more flexible learning style that will be valuable in future careers and in college. However, student input can make evaluations more thorough and surveys for long-term substitutes should be utilized. This can streamline the selection process for future occasions when a substitute is needed.

Substitutes are thoroughly trained and selected carefully no matter the duration of time they will teach at Mira Costa. It will still be the student’s jobs as well to choose how well they succeed in their classes and how much they respect their new teachers.