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Texas schools ask parents to fill in as substitute teachers

Transcript¹

With many teachers out sick with COVID-19, schools are scrambling² to find substitute teachers. Texas schools are having to get creative so that students can continue going to in-person classes.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The omicron variant³ has made education even harder. If you're not having this experience yourself, talk with any teacher or parent or student about the days since winter break ended. Many teachers are sick or quarantining. And schools are scrambling to find substitutes. Claire McInerny of KUT reports that some schools in Texas are getting creative.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: What's up, Leo?

LEO: What's up?

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: How are you doing? Hey, Margaret.

CHRIS AGUERO: All right. Let me get the door for you and David.

CLAIRE MCINERNY, BYLINE⁴: Every morning during drop-off at the Austin Jewish Academy, Principal Chris Aguero and other staff members go through the same routine - take a student's temperature, hand them a mask and ask how they're feeling.

AGUERO: In K through 5, at least, kids are just brutally⁵ honest. So how are you feeling today? Not great. Any, you know, cough or sore throat? I got both.

MCINERNY: But this screening process is no match for the latest surge of COVID-19 cases in Texas. With many teachers out sick or quarantining, it's up to office manager Karen Tarantolo to find a substitute.

KAREN TARANTOLO: Last year, we had kind of a group of regular subs - you know, former teachers, retired⁶ teachers, things like that - that we could draw on. But since COVID has really ramped⁷ up, those people have just kind of gone away.

MCINERNY: So Tarantolo has turned to the students' parents to see if they can help out.

TARANTOLO: For, you know, an hour, half-day, a whole day, you know? Whatever they can do, we're happy to have their help.

MCINERNY: This isn't a problem isolated⁸ at this small private school in Austin. The nearby Hays Consolidated⁹ School District is also asking parents to be substitutes. In other places across the country, districts are lowering the requirements for substitute teachers, waiving¹⁰ application fees and increasing pay. Austin ISD, the biggest public school system in the area, had 100 more sub requests last week compared to the same week last year. This high demand prompted the superintendent¹¹ to go fill in at a high school math class. But mostly, says Francisca Schindler (ph), an elementary art teacher, teachers are carrying the burden.

FRANCISCA SCHINDLER: Say that there's three classes in the fourth grade, and one teacher doesn't show up. So those students are divided amongst the other two classes. So now they have a class and a half.

MCINERNY: She said that's tricky¹² at her campus because a lot of the students are in language programs that don't mix and match. This latest surge has a lot of people asking, why don't schools go back to virtual learning? But in many cases, they don't really have a choice. The state of Texas won't fund schools unless they provide an in-person option. At the Austin Jewish Academy, Principal Aguero says in-person school is crucial to help kids keep a routine and provide normalcy. So he's thankful for the parents helping¹³ out.

MARISELA MADDOX: It's exhausting (laughter). It's physically¹⁴ exhausting.

MCINERNY: Marisela Maddox is one of the parents subbing. She's a trained attorney, has never been a teacher. But she's been filling in all school year.

MADDOX: There's always been lesson plans even when the teachers are out unexpectedly. Or the other teachers will help me figure out something that does keep the students engaged so we don't have to do the movie thing.

MCINERNY: She said she's happy to provide consistency¹⁵ to the students when so much is changing.

For NPR News, I'm Claire McInerny in Austin.

(SOUNDBITE OF ROCKET MINER'S "MY FRIEND COMA") [POST BROADCAST CORRECTION: This story incorrectly states that a school superintendent in Austin, Texas, taught a math class because of a substitute teacher shortage. While she had planned to, she did not end up teaching the class.]

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 brutally   

adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地

参考例句：

• The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。
• A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 ramped   

土堤斜坡( ramp的过去式和过去分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• With the arrival of George Lucas, the pace has ramped up. 随着乔治·卢卡斯的到来，速度大大加快。
• They also sold corporate bonds as the global financial crisis ramped up. 在全球金融危机加剧之际，他们还抛售了公司债券。

8 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

9 consolidated   

a.联合的

参考例句：

• With this new movie he has consolidated his position as the country's leading director. 他新执导的影片巩固了他作为全国最佳导演的地位。
• Those two banks have consolidated and formed a single large bank. 那两家银行已合并成一家大银行。

10 waiving   

v.宣布放弃( waive的现在分词 )；搁置；推迟；放弃（权利、要求等）

参考例句：

• Other steps suggested included waiving late payment charges, making quicker loan decisions and easing loan terms. 其他测试还包括免去滞纳金，尽快做出贷款决定和放宽贷款条件。 来自互联网
• Stuyvesant Town offers the same perk on some apartments, along waiving the broker's fee. StuyvesantTown对于他们出租的某些房子也提供同样的好处，顺带还省略了中介费。 来自互联网

11 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

12 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

13 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

14 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

15 consistency   

n.一贯性，前后一致，稳定性；(液体的)浓度

参考例句：

• Your behaviour lacks consistency.你的行为缺乏一贯性。
• We appreciate the consistency and stability in China and in Chinese politics.我们赞赏中国及其政策的连续性和稳定性。