As Newton County’s 2023-2024 school year is about to be in full swing, I now approach education with a brand new set of eyes. Though I have always considered educators as one of the most crucial puzzle pieces of our society, that sentiment has amplified tenfold after my temporary experience in the classroom.

After I graduated from the University of Georgia in December 2022, I made the decision to fill in as a substitute teacher to earn money while applying for careers in the field I earned my undergraduate degree in (journalism). 

My mother is a fifth grade teacher at Oak Hill Elementary. Therefore, I chose to exclusively sub at Oak Hill as I was only planning on subbing for a couple months and felt the most familiar with the faculty there.

While subbing at the elementary level, I encountered unfathomable classroom behavior and a mental and physical exhaustion like no other. I was appalled at the vast lack of respect throughout each grade level and indifference to completing schoolwork.

What teachers have been dealing with in the classroom recently is unprecedented. I realize there are other factors in a child’s life that have the potential to affect the way they behave and sometimes those children need the most attention, but what I witnessed as a substitute was blatant disrespect and disregard from students for their actions.

With that being said, I want to acknowledge that not every child displays such behaviors. However, from what I experienced as a substitute teacher, a large chunk of class time is routinely dedicated to addressing poor behavior and, as a result, the well-behaved kids are often overlooked.

Recently, Bishop Clarence Harris, a preacher and teacher, echoed similar thoughts as a public participant at the Board of Education meeting on July 18.

“Respect, honor, obedience have been replaced with profanity, violence, murder, assault of teachers,” Harris said. “And it’s not just in our country, it’s seen globally. The airways have been filled with these such nuances and have put the profession of education at risk. It’s an at risk profession because beginning teachers right now only last about a tenure, about three years, because of being the accountant in the classroom.

“Respect and authority is right now out the window and it’s critical we understand that the baby boomers [and] my generation have done a poor job in addressing their children and most importantly, the COVID babies who right now feel a sense of entitlement in education, not doing their work. [Teachers] have put our hands to the plow. Many teachers are really working feverishly, and they’re working to make our country better, and our county as well.”

Although I am simply a journalist who did not pursue the field of education, I am very passionate about advocating for teachers. Educating the future generations of our society is not an easy task to tackle. I say it all the time – it takes a special person to teach.

I can remember every teacher I’ve ever had. I can remember specific lessons and activities certain teachers implemented into the classroom, like the nature walk we went on during AP Language and Composition junior year of high school while learning about Transcendentalism, or the song my elementary school music teacher made up about Floyd Street that we would sing along to. 

Teachers leave lasting impressions on all of us. They are our leaders, our role models and our mentors. A teacher does not clock out whenever the dismissal bell rings. Their jobs extend into their personal time, after hours at home, when they make sacrifices in their free time in order to better their classroom for the next day.

Though my time as a substitute teacher was short and challenging, I am grateful to have had that opportunity. My experience in the classroom allowed me to walk in the shoes of an educator each day (with way less responsibility than a normal teacher has) and catch a glimpse of what they endure daily. After doing so, I now think every week should be “Teacher Appreciation Week.”

To all teachers in the community, know that I, along with so many others, am rooting for you and wishing you all the best as this new school year unfolds.

Emily Rose Hamby is a staff writer of The Covington News. She can be reached at ehamby@covnews.com.