Stories and Poems

About the Book

An insightful, entertaining read! These wonderful, heart-warming, true stories from substitute teachers will inspire teachers, parents, and the general public alike. Have you ever wondered what life is like for a substitute teacher? Everyone has had a substitute teacher in their experience as a student. They often do not realize how challenging it can be for a substitute teacher to walk into a new environment, even at a moment’s notice. This book highlights substitute teachers’ special days and memorable experiences from the bittersweet to the hilarious. Their stories range from the one-room schoolhouse memories to elementary Show and Tell surprises to student antics and the importance of establishing connections with students. The substitute teacher never knows what the day may bring. It is not an easy job, but it is one that is varied and rewarding. Sit back, read, and enjoy a good laugh at the substitute teacher’s expense. You will surely see yourself in many of these stories. The COVID-19 poems and artwork are reflections of some substitutes’ time of worry, isolation, and belief of a better day to come.

About the Author

James Baker has been a kindergarten to grade 12 substitute and contracted teacher for the Calgary Board of Education and Rocky View School Board over the past 24 years. He is heavily involved with Local 38 of the ATA with years serving on the STG Executive, the Local 38 Executive, the Council of School Representatives, the Teacher Welfare Committee, and as a delegate to the to the Annual Representative Assembly of the ATA. James is currently the Chair of the STG Directorate. He has volunteered with several nature organizations in the Calgary area, such as the Calgary Zoo and the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.

Bunny Chan has had a teaching career with the Edmonton Public School Board. She spent a few years working as a substitute teacher, going to various elementary, junior high and high school sites in the district.

Kathy Cook has enjoyed being involved in teaching for almost three decades. She has vast experience as a homeroom academic educator, as well as a music and art specialist. When she is not teaching, you will likely see her playing music with her band Magnolia Buckskin or out hiking somewhere in the great Canadian Rockies.

Anne Deeves was an Abel Seaman from 1967 to 1969 in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve at HMCS Tecumseh in Calgary, sharing many adventures with her husband, Alec. After attaining her PMLA (Petroleum, Mineral & Land Administration) diploma from Mount Royal College, she worked in the oil industry for many years. In the 1980’s, she attended the University of Calgary, attaining her BA in English and her B.Ed. Anne was a dedicated substitute teacher from 1988-2017. She was always an enthusiastic participant in the Substitute Teachers’ Group and the Alberta Teachers’ Association, working diligently on behalf of substitute teachers. Anne passed away peacefully on June 13, 2018, at Dulcina Hospice in Calgary and she dictated her contribution to this book while she was there.

Shirley Ewing, having grown up on an Alberta farm, spent most of her teaching career as a substitute. Her early teaching years were in the Valley View area of Alberta, East of Grande Prairie, then a year in Papua, New Guinea, followed by teaching in a charter school in Calgary and then joining the Calgary Board of Education. She enjoyed all school ages but spent most of her time in JHS and SHS. Her areas were Foods and Fashion. Subbing is not a temporary occupation for her. It is a position she has chosen to be in for a significant time.

Mara Ganten was born and raised in the beautiful mountain town of Revelstoke. She graduated from the University of Alberta in 2007 with a B.Ed. Mara is currently working for Edmonton Public Schools. She was a substitute for about 9 years with temporary contracts. She was actually planning on writing her own book about subbing, but that fell by the wayside! She read about this opportunity in the ATA newsletter. She has a collection of funny, serious and touching stories. She also has a collection of typical things you hear kids say about subs or to subs!

Linda Klym was born in Edmonton, Alberta and did most of her teaching and all of her subbing in Sherwood Park. She was in the teaching profession from 1972 to 2014 in one way or another. Linda now lives in Vernon, British Columbia, but Alberta will always be her home.

Bev Maertens-Poole lives in Camrose, Alberta with her husband of 60 years, Bill. She grew up on a farm north of Hughenden. After graduation from high school, she began teacher training at the University of Alberta with the aid of a bursary from the local School Division. Her teaching career began in Provost, Alberta, where she met Bill who joined the staff. The family moved to Camrose in 1967. There are three children and four grandchildren who faithfully include the “old folks” in their lives.

Karen McKenzieSmith was born in Saskatchewan near Cypress Hills and has lived in Alberta for over 61 years, raising her three children. She received a Diploma in Early Childhood Services from the University of Lethbridge and a B Ed (Double Major) in Elementary Math/Social from the University of Alberta. Karen began her teaching career in Lethbridge and Magrath, Alberta, and in later years taught as a Substitute Teacher for the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School Board. She was an active member of the ATA, serving as Chair of the Substitute Teachers’ Group, and established Grid Pay for Substitute Teachers in Alberta. She has served on a number of community boards and has received many awards in art, writing, poetry, public speaking, and even a gold medal in Mixed Curling in Japan. She is a best-selling author of several books.

May-Britt Mykietiak taught as a substitute teacher for a year when she first moved to Red Deer over twenty years ago. She continued to teach as a full-time teacher thereafter.

Jane Nieuwenhuis stayed home for 14 years to raise her four children, after teaching for 7 years (1999-2006). She did have her name on the subbing list at Calgary Christian School for many of those years that she stayed home and later became a contract teacher there for nineteen years and for four years at Heritage Christian School. Her three grandchildren fill her life now.

Pansy Pilgrim has been a teacher for the Calgary Board of Education for the past number of years. She is an active member of the ATA, serving as Secretary of the Substitute Teachers’ Group Executive. The highlight of her teaching career is writing skits, songs, and poems for a variety of events and performing them in front of a live audience.

Lucia Semenoff has roots in Russia, Chile, Finland and Canada. She holds a BFA from Alberta College of Art and Design and a B.Ed. from the University of Calgary and has been teaching with the Calgary Board of Education since 2012. Lucia has a passion for hiking in nature, writing and art-making. She also loves spending time with her family and friends. Gardening and cooking meals together with her husband and four adult children are Lucia’s most enjoyable activities.

Roger Scott is presently a retired 40+ year teacher/coach/administrator living the “good life” with his patient and adoring wife, Ann, in St. Albert, Alberta. A proud Physical Education Grad (U of A ’73) and lifetime HPEC’r, Roger attained his PDAD in ’74 and his MEd (UVic ’82). He has taught, coached, and administrated in six St. Albert Public Schools, retiring as Principal and Assistant Principal at Lorne Akins Jr. High in 2014. Roger subbed and coached from his retirement until COVID in 2020 and hopes to re-commence work with ‘Gatorugby’ this spring, 2022. His enjoyment of writing was honed through the benefit of strong teaching influences at Glenora, Westminster, and Ross Sheppard Schools.

Joyce Verrier grew up on a small farm in northern Alberta during the 1940s and ‘50s. Money was scarce and times were tough. Mother often said, “If only I had a way to become a teacher, ….” That would have been a cure-all for her. I’m glad I took the hint from her because, at almost 80 years of age, I am still enjoying the wonders of teaching. What a great life!