By RAD BROSIUS – News Writer
Clarke Central High School’s science department was left with an empty position for the beginning of the school year after previous resignations.
During the first three weeks of the 2013-24 school year, Clarke Central High School students went without a full-time chemistry teacher.
“At the end of last spring, when we knew that the chemistry teachers, (Sukla and Nripendra Bhattacharyya) weren’t coming back, we made it a top priority to find someone who had experience and background and training specifically in teaching AP Chemistry,” associate principal Mary Thielman said.
Multiple times, candidates have fallen through due to a number of personal issues, leaving chemistry classes with substitutes. The chemistry classes had a teacher for the first days of the class, but she resigned over the first weekend. Thielman attempted as she could to fill in.
“My background is such that I can teach the course and the need was there. I’ve tried on a temporary basis to fill in, but the problem is I have a full-time job,” Thielman said. “Although I’ve not really been able to fill in with the first-year advanced kids, I have to the best of my ability spent time with the AP kids.”
Clarke Central High School administrators struggled to fill the position for three weeks, leaving the classroom simply empty with only substitutes to assign book work.
According to administrators, everyday efforts were made each day by Principal Dr. Robbie Hooker, as well as department chairs and administrators to fill the position.
“I can tell you, I get chewed out by administrators and other colleagues, saying ‘you don’t rush to fill the position’ and no, I don’t, because if you rush and get the wrong person, what is it going to help?” Hooker said. “I’d rather take my time and get the right fit.”
However, with such a long wait, some students made the decision to drop the class.
“My parents, my peers pretty much everybody said it wasn’t a smart option, and I took some time to decide and decided for myself that it wasn’t as well,” junior Evan Hatch said.
Students feel that being left with what was for the most part busy work was not conducive to a positive learning environment, though there was an administrator in the classroom teaching from time to time.
At the end of Aug., Science department teacher Claude filled the empty position.
“I don’t think (book work) was productive enough and just learning out of the book wasn’t good enough. We needed a real teacher. I think (substitutes) were told what they had to do and just gave us work, but I don’t think they were experienced enough to teach us,” junior Alejandro De Paz said.
However, on Thursday, August 29, the position was filled. Science department teacher Claude Gonzalez transferred positions in order to fulfill the empty role.
“I (was first teaching) biology and two chemistry courses, and Dr. Hooker asked me if I would, for the benefit of the kids, come up here to take the chemistry position, because it had been getting close to three weeks (without a teacher),” Gonzalez said.
Administrators and teachers agree that relocating Gonzalez was the right choice, and will benefit students who have gone without a teacher.
“Mr. Gonzalez is dedicated. Even though he’s only been at Clarke Central for a short time, many of us have known him in the past, and when he came here we knew he was dedicated,” associate principal Sheila Dunham said.
Since Gonzalez changed positions, his old position as biology and partial chemistry teacher was left open. That position has now been filled and now, with a full-time teacher, all classes from AP to on level chemistry are benefitting, where they had no learning time previously.
“I think he’s really good and he will be a good teacher for us. It looks like he actually wants us to learn and he actually makes it fun, not just boring,” De Paz said.
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