College Students Taking On Substitute Teacher Jobs

Jason Kramer scrunched his six-foot frame into a tiny wooden chair, as a group of playful 4-year-olds served him plastic roasted chicken, plastic cupcakes and a plastic grilled cheese sandwich.

"You didn't cut it up or anything," Kramer enthused after one student handed him a chicken wing.

On this recent spring day, Kramer's classes at the College of Southern Maryland weren't in session, but that didn't mean he was out of school.

Kramer, who was playacting with students at Benjamin Banneker Elementary School in St. Mary's County, is one of hundreds of college students who moonlight as substitute teachers in Maryland. Although some of the substitutes are themselves only a couple of years out of high school, some educators view them as great resources for substitute-starved schools.

"It is harder to find qualified substitutes with college degrees because of limited resources," said Karla Laws, substitute coordinator for Talbot County schools.

"We are always in need. . . . It's considered part-time, temporary employment, so turnover rate is always high," added Laws, who estimated that college students make up 14 percent of Talbot's substitute teaching pool.

In St. Mary's County, where Kramer, 20, lives and works, about 10 percent of the system's substitute teachers are college students, said Richard Smith, human resource supervisor for the public school system. Although many counties are not sure of the exact number of college student subs they are using, officials agree they make up a significant portion.

For instance, Elizabeth Huber, substitute personnel coordinator for Frederick County public schools, said she hired nearly 70 college students this year.

State law requires school employees to pass a criminal background check and be at least 18 years old. But there are no statewide education minimums for substitute teachers.

Most counties require a high school degree -- or degree equivalence -- to substitute. Some school systems, such as Howard County's, also require some college credits.

Substitute teachers must have a high school diploma to work in St. Mary's County. As in most counties, a substitute teacher without a bachelor's degree is paid slightly less than those who have completed college. For teachers with degrees, pay increases from $50 to $60 a day.

Each substitute teacher has to participate in a two-day training session -- focusing on classroom management and instruction -- before working in a classroom, Smith said.