Curiosity strikes as students notice their teacher looks different lately. At first they think nothing of it until an announcement by the teacher catches them off-guard.

The teacher announces she is pregnant and will be leaving the rest of the semester.

Some students are excited, others shrug, but all of them wonder the same question: What will the substitute be like?

Senior Nicholas Avis has been in this position several times. He had a long-term substitute for American Literature and English 9.

“He was a good teacher but didn’t really know about the subject,” Avis said. “He just went along with it.”

Avis said the classes became easier when the substitute was teaching and he received better grades. The substitute made the work easier and gave good grades to students who completed their work, according to Avis.

“I don’t think I learned anything after the teacher left,” Avis said.

In contrast, English instructor Emily Hough expects her class to be unaffected when her long-term substitute takes her place.

Hough is pregnant, and won’t be at school when students return from spring break. She doesn’t plan to come into school to do work for the rest of the year but will check her email so she can answer any questions students have.

“I hate missing school, especially with your students because there’s a certain way you want things done,” Hough said.

She picked former Westside journalism instructor Rod Howe as the long-term substitute to take her place.

Howe will teach English and Literature classes for Hough. She said she picked Howe because his teaching style is similar to hers, and he has experience teaching the subject matter.

“I’m confident that he’ll be able to do a good job,” Hough said.

After English and debate instructor Dana Christensen resigned, he did not choose who would replace him as a long-term sub. Instead, Otis Seals was chosen by the English department head to take Christensen’s place for the rest of the year.

Seals started as a student teacher in the social studies department, then became a substitute. He’s hoping to be hired as a full-time social studies instructor. Seals said he prefers long-term subbing over short-term subbing.

“I like actually being in the classroom for an extended amount of time so I could develop relationships with students and get to know them as people too,” Seals said. “I think that’s contrasted with [short-term] subbing, when you’re in a new classroom every day and they [the students] are just gone the next day.”

Seals is now teaching English 9, Debate and Advanced Debate. He had previous knowledge about English but knew little about debate.

“I like debate in general and I’m learning as I go, so it’s been fun,” Seals said. “It’s a process adjusting to students, but all students have been open to adjusting to me.”

According to Seals, a team of English 9 teachers creates an overall plan for the unit, which he uses to make lessons for his class. Seals adjusts his lessons based on the classes’ learning styles.

Seals said the other English teachers are helpful with anything he needs, such as planning lessons or grading assignments.

Hough said English teachers will help Howe, too. Hough will give him an overall unit plan and he will use that to plan day-to-day lessons.

Howe has subbed for Hough several times in the past. Hough knows it is tough for students to adapt to a new teacher halfway through the semester but doesn’t think they will have trouble since they already know him.

“I think it affects the class, but they’ll still follow the same policies, so it shouldn’t be too big of an adjustment for them,” Hough said.

Seals said long-term subbing has affected the way he teaches more than it has affected the students.

“They’re all smart kids,” Seals said. “They know what’s going on. Some of my structure is to help them be a little more organized themselves.”