As you may know, there is a bit of a shortage of substitute teachers in the LCPS district. There are almost no substitutes around, but a shocking amount of absent teachers every school year, maybe even one that could rival student absences. This has led to the school district hiring some substitutes with teaching methods that tend to be...abstract, to say the least. Here are some of the substitute teacher experiences I've had simply from three years in my school.

• A substitute expressed her political views in a completely non-political class talking about subjects that do not involve politics. And I do not mean in nuances or loaded questions, just straight-up opinion statements about who she voted for president and why. She is still teaching.
• A substitute did nothing but move around the teacher's desk setup and watch movies on her phone. As far as I know, she is still teaching.
• A substitute literally did nothing. She did not even refer to a lesson plan, simply sat at her desk on her phone while a bunch of chaotic tweens paraded around and did nothing all class. I believe she is also still teaching.
• A substitute became incredibly angry multiple times in multiple classes in very uncontrolled ways, leading to multiple outbursts. I believe he was fired shortly after, but this may be untrue.
• And most recently, a substitute decided to fail almost everyone in a class for no apparent reason. This substitute is known for screaming at students and threatening mass, overkill punishments for simple mistakes. This substitute is so widely disliked that multiple desperate emails have been sent to the original teacher begging him to come back. He is still teaching also.

These experiences create a rather unfortunate trend of substitutes who seem to be unable to teach in an engaging/calm manner. There has been quite the share of experienced and positive substitutes, but the overall negative mindset towards teaching young adults has created an environment not of learning and diversity, but one of fear and anger. If school systems like the one at LCPS continue hiring these types of substitutes, it's estimated that grades will plummet and schools like ours will go from model educational areas to chaotic, D-averaging madhouses.

If you are a parent hoping for the best possible learning for your student or a student aspiring for extremely hard-to-get occupations like a lawyer or doctor, it should be in your best interest to create a law or at least raise awareness about the substitute shortage and the cuts these schools are making to avoid becoming understaffed. Now is the best time, and the future of young Gen Z and Gen Alpha are in your hands. With enough power and votes, we can make this a reality.