'I'm not doing it for the money': Retired grandfather, working mother step up as substitute teachers
Two of the first people Bill Dartnall sees during his morning routine are his granddaughters. Photos of sisters Violet and Lyla proudly hang on his refrigerator and are inspiring the 68-year-old retiree to fulfill a lifelong dream of teaching.
"I said how would you like to see grandpa in your school being a teacher? And her face just beamed. I mean, 'Oh grandpa, that would be so great,'" Dartnall said.
He soon could be teaching in Violet's school, Fairfield's Compass Elementary in Fairfield, Ohio. Dartnall heard about the need for substitute teachers and is now in the process of becoming one in his county.
"I really, really want to give it a try and see if I can make a difference and maybe more people will become substitutes," Dartnall said.
Even though many people wish the pay could be higher in any district, Dartnall said that's not why he's doing it.
"That doesn't deter me. I'm not doing it for the money," he said. "If I can just go and make that difference where the kids do not have to go remote, that's helping the school district."
Tara Stroud is a working mother of four with two kids still in the Fairfield School District.
"I always wanted to be a teacher and then my husband and I started a family, and my career kind of took a different path," Stroud said.
Her marketing job allows her to have flexible hours and work from home. So, she too, wanted to help her district.
"You know, give the teachers a break, too," Stroud said.
Since you no longer need a bachelor's degree in Ohio to be a substitute teacher, that allowed Stroud to apply. She started the process over Christmas break and hopes to be in a classroom by next week.
"If there's one kid that smiles one day because I'm there or feels a connection or enjoys school, that's really what it's about for me," Stroud said. "It's just a way for me to get into the classroom and do what I've always wanted to do and love to do, and I think a lot of other people could do it, too."
At the end of the day, Dartnall and Stroud hope to make a difference and inspire those who inspired them.
