Everyone has a bad substitute teacher story, one that made you really question how some people became substitutes, but I believe mine takes the cake. There was a substitute teacher often called on by the history teachers to fill in for their classes. Gregory Conte was an alum of my high school, Quince Orchard. During his time as a student, he ran track and field, named the school’s dedicated league of football fans “The Red Army,” and excelled in academics. After graduating from Georgetown University, he returned to Quince Orchard as a substitute teacher.
Fresh out of college, he was one of the cooler substitutes. He would talk to students about political and social issues, popular culture, and let a lot of things slide. Whenever he was at our school, he would be impeccably dressed in a crisp white dress shirt, red tie, perfectly pleated pants, and a blazer complimented by a head of sculpted hair. I always got a weird vibe from the guy; something about him seemed cold. Others did not feel the way I did; I remember some of my friends going on and on about how hot he was. He was a substitute at the local girls Catholic school, the Academy of the Holy Cross, and coached their softball team. Other than the coldness I picked up on, he appeared to be an active, involved member of the community.
I was on the train heading back home to Maryland for winter break my sophomore year. I was using the incredibly slow train wifi and I saw an article pop up on my Twitter timeline. My former substitute, Gregory Conte, was a neo-Nazi. Not just a neo-Nazi, but right-hand man to Richard Spencer, the leader of the alt-Right. He was not trying to hide his politics; he had a public Twitter account with photos of himself under the very transparent pseudonym, “Gregory Ritter.” His true identity was discovered by two of my classmates, who stumbled upon a podcast he hosted, and immediately recognized his voice, uncovered everything from there.
I was shocked; how could this have gone under the radar for as long as it did? He was immediately terminated from all of his school-related positions once this was discovered, but what damage had already been done? The school is 56% students of Color and has a large Jewish population. I was one of the only openly gay students in my class year. How was a man who stated that “diversity leads to social problems… conflict… [and] war” allowed to have access to this population of students? A classmate of mine, Bella Roberts, recently Tweeted about Conte;
“This nazi was my highschool substitute teacher. Once in history class he asked me if I was Jewish and when I said yes he didn’t make eye contact with me again”
Bella Roberts, @bellaanddabeast, January 5, 2020
As someone in the field of education, this made me question what standards are set for substitute teachers? And what is the process of being hired as a substitute?
I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland, the only district that represents substitute teachers. But, there are no state-wide standards or credentials needed to be a substitute. Given that one student spends an average of six months in total being taught by a substitute teacher in their school career, shouldn’t there be standards? Who are we giving this much time to? Why are they substitute teaching and what is their agenda?
Throughout the state, there have been issues of substitute teacher shortages. Unsurprising, as this a nationwide trend. In Anne Arundel County, which neighbors mine, they have permanent substitutes assigned to buildings. When someone is out, the substitute fills in, and when there is no shortage, they fulfill other tasks in the building. This way, the substitutes are not just random people showing up, they are a part of the school community. They would have to undergo the same training and rigorous background checks that other school staff go through. Would this minimize the number of harmful substitutes like Conte?
Instead of treating substitute teachers like a movie day for the students, what if substitutes were treated as real teachers? Currently, Montgomery County pays substitute teachers $74.54 per day; starting at $19.58 for certified substitutes and $18.41 for those uncertified. If substitute teachers were permanent staff members in the school, they would have a higher salary and stability. It does not seem as if MCPS cares too much about the qualifications of their substitutes, as they recently lowered standards for substitute teachers, now only requiring an associate’s degree or 60 college credits.
What if substitutes were prospective teachers? Substitute teaching can be excellent for those building their teaching practice. There’s an old saying that those that can’t teach, but I really don’t think that should be the perception. Teaching is a valuable skill that not everyone can perform; forty four percent of all new teachers leave the profession within the first five years. I believe that if teachers-in-training received more solo classroom experience, things could be different. Teachers could have more time to develop their teaching method, learn how to support their student population, and also see if teaching is right for them.
The echo of Conte still rings throughout my hometown; something about him pops up on Twitter every few months, his father’s pizza shop across from my high school is still thriving, and I have seen him walking around my neighborhood late at night. Conte is one of the reasons I am so protective of students; who is teaching students, even if they are filling in for an afternoon, and why they are teaching is important.
About the Author: McKenzie is a second-semester senior at Smith, double majoring in Studio Art and Education. When not toiling over readings and crying in the studio, McKenzie can be seen walking very swiftly around campus in heart-shaped sunglasses holding a Yerba Mate.