Subs become familiar faces in classrooms
March 25, 2017
While not part of the staff, substitutes Anthony Poullard, David Buck and Alejandro Rodriguez have all made frequent appearances at Diamond Bar High School, becoming familiar with the campus and the students.
Poullard, a graduate of Walnut High School, will be teaching Lindsay Arnold’s IB and AP U.S. history class for the rest of the year while she remains on maternity leave. Majoring in Political Science and Economics and minoring in Educational Studies, the substitute graduated from UCI with a Masters in Teaching in Social Science credentials.
“I was motivated by a couple professors in particular who expressed to me the joy of teaching, how rewarding it can be to teach students,” Poullard said. “That was the point where I realized ‘wow, I can actually see myself doing this.’”
Before working at DBHS, Poullard served as a student-teacher for an eighth grade U.S. history class and as a long-term substitute at WHS, where he taught World History, U.S. History and Economics in the Academic Design Program.
Despite starting in February, Poullard is already familiar with the DBHS campus. He was an AP Proctor last year and taught summer school for the Dedicated 2 Learning School program, teaching World History over the course of six weeks.
“I realized how much I enjoyed the subject, even while I was in high school, so I had a big of nostalgia. It made me enjoy it more by teaching the students,” Poullard said.
Likewise, Buck was a history major at Cal Poly Pomona, and received his teaching credentials also in Social Science. Buck is also familiar with DBHS’ campus, as he did his student teaching with Instructional Dean Matthew Brummett in 2014.
“My favorite thing about subbing, and teaching in general, is the interactions with the students,” Buck said.
This semester, Buck has been subbing for Johnny Hwang, Robotics, Engineering and AP Biology teacher. In addition, he is also a frequent substitute for world history teacher Kurt Davies and photography teacher Bill Foley.
Last year, he had two long-term positions, filling in for Jill Marquez and Mary Gaxiola, both of whom were on maternity leaves for about two months.
“There are several advantages to subbing. It is good experience for teaching, you can see how established teachers run their classrooms and it is a good way for schools to get to know you,” Buck said.
Also a history major Cal Poly graduate, Rodriguez works part time as a substitute for the Walnut Valley Unified School District.
“I’ve always liked being in front of people, I’ve done stand up comedy before, so it’s just a feeling that I like,” he said.
Last year, Rodriguez spent nearly every week subbing at DBHS. He mostly fills in for Spanish teacher Irma Lujan and U.S. History teacher Christian Calero.
Growing up in Chino, Rodriguez had relatives who attended WVUSD schools. Furthermore, he was also familiar with Lujan prior to working as a substitute.
He spends most of his time at Suzanne Middle School, where he had a six week sub position, and at DBHS.
“I know there are good teachers, but I also know that there are bad teachers. I want to be one of those people that make a real difference, even if it’s small.”