Caption: Ben Clark is returning to PACA with his family after living in the U.S. for several years. [Picture provided by Ben Clark.]
by Vitor Silva
The 2024-2025 school year is now in full swing with midterm grades completed and PACA staff is still scrambling to cover for all the missing teachers who have not yet arrived or are not able to start teaching yet.
This process of getting all the new teachers to PACA has students and teachers alike wondering where the new teachers are. Many of the current or returning teachers have been acting as permanent subs for the classes of the new teachers while still doing their normal load of work.
They need to deal with double the work because the new teachers are not here, and some of the teachers are unable to.
Priscilla Fray, 16, a junior, is one of the students with a new teacher that is still not here. One of her concerns is not knowing what to expect of her new teachers once they arrive.
“It is really annoying,” said Fray, “we will restart the year all over again when the new teachers come.”
However, Priscilla also said that teachers that substitute for her classes in the place of new teachers were “thankfully they are all from the subject.”
Mrs. Mindy Swisher has taught English 11 in past years, and has been able to sub easily for Mr. Ben Clark while he’s been unavailable. Teachers, like Swisher, were accustomed to the subject because they are, for example, an English teacher teaching English on a different level.
Dr. Cristina Meier, a substitute teacher for British Literature and English 10 for Mr. Ben Clark, feels fairly confident while teaching this subject.
“I am familiar with English, because it was always a strong subject for me as a student,” said Meier. “When I was younger, I wanted to be a writer. So, my experience in English reading and writing kicks in when I’m teaching English.”
In the early weeks of September, the final paperwork is coming to a close for several of the new teachers, and it is very likely that these new faces will start making appearances in classrooms very soon.
