OPPORTUNITY AS A
Substitute Teacher By Sharon Schrage
LAST WINTER, AFTER HEARING THE STRUGGLES
If you are interested in becoming a substitute teacher, you can start here: https://doe.nv.gov/Educator_Licensure/Online_ Portal/content
If you have any questions, reach out to Sharon Schrage at: sharons@inclineeducationfund.org
Limited application fee reimbursements are available from the Incline Education Fund.
schools faced due to COVID-19, I decided to help by becoming a Nevada Substitute teacher. As the process took some time, when I finally received my license, students were back in the classroom. I promptly forgot about my certification. Fast forward to “Omicron January”. In a passing remark to Incline Elementary School Principal, Dan Zimmerman, I noted I was a “substitute” and would be happy to help if he was truly desperate. He was. It is the same across the entire country. On January 20, 2022 EducationWeek article, Evie Blad noted, “Exhausted school leaders are scrambling…to find substitute teachers during the latest COVID-19 surge… forcing some schools to close temporarily due to staffing shortages.” That same month, in our own backyard, the Washoe County School District announced that due to staffing shortages, schools would once again go remote, on an as-needed basis when 408 staff missed work and 15,145 children missed school in one week. Even without the pandemic, there is an urgent need for substitutes in Nevada and especially Incline Village. Most Reno substitutes find plenty of work down in the valley and do not want to come ‘up the hill’. Incline Village schools rely our communities’ help, pandemic or not, to be a part of the educational support system keeping classes open. Without a teacher in the classroom, children cannot come to school. With the documented learning loss from the pandemic, it is more important than ever to give our students the best possible chance to succeed. I have found my experience to be incredibly rewarding. The students at IES were kind and welcoming to an administrative director turned teacher. Incline Village has a cadre of phenomenal teachers and the IES staff culture is one of inclusivity and cooperation. A random Friday teacher conversation is not about weekend plans, but how to support a struggling student. In the office, there is always room for a young student still wrestling with the transition from her remote learning experience to the structure of the classroom. With a flexible schedule, (substitute teachers choose which teaching assignments to take) you too can make a difference in a student’s life. IVCBA.ORG
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LIVE.WORK.PLAY.
