Ms. Lasch’s retirement created a gap at FWPA—a gap that has been filled by none other than previous long-term sub Ms. Nearman. But how did she land in this position? And how do students feel about having a different teacher?
To choose a substitute teacher, FWPA must first post the position online, and then candidates that qualify for the position apply. As most jobs commonly do, the applicants are interviewed, and the most qualified candidate is selected.
Furthermore, Ms. Nearman was chosen to become the long-term substitute for a handful of reasons. Not only was she a qualified candidate for the position, but she had long-term subbed at FWPA before, which was for Mr. Filler’s biology, chemistry, and environmental science classes. Additionally, due to Ms. Nearman previously subbing at FWPA, she knows the students as well as the teachers. Ms. Thornton explained, “She has subbed long-term before and has relationships with the students and staff.”
Although Ms. Nearman typically enjoys teaching science classes such as biology more than math, she still chose to become a long-term math substitute, teaching multiple periods of math classes. One reason she chose to do this was because Ms. Lasch personally asked her to be the sub. Ms. Nearman recalled, “I knew Ms. Lasch, and she asked me personally.”
The students in Ms. Nearman’s classes have also had a positive experience. Ella Park-Unsworth, who is in her Algebra 2 class, stated, “She is more relaxed than Ms. Lasch.” Ella also explained, “She shows us visual tutorials,” which further explains the math topic.
Edward Wersom said, “Ms. Lasch was a good teacher, and I’m hoping Ms. Nearman could be about as good.”
Similar to when Ms. Nearman subbed for Mr. Filler, she will only be staying for the second semester. FWPA will choose a new and permanent teacher for the upcoming school year.
With expectations high, students think Ms. Nearman is meeting them.
