Feb 17, 2022 3 min read

With teacher absences mounting everywhere as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and substitutes for them in short supply, educational institutions must be more resourceful than ever in finding substitute teachers.

Throughout the country, substitutes are coming from non-traditional backgrounds, and states, including Pennsylvania, have loosened restrictions to give schools more flexibility in hiring, as coronavirus exposures, illness and quarantines add to strains on schools that also have been forced to tap librarians, administrators and other support staff to help cover classrooms during the pandemic.

Schools also are looking for paraprofessionals and bus drivers.

In Bethel Park, one particular father and daughter have stepped up and caught everyone’s attention.

Since January, Mark King and daughter, Ava, have been serving as regular substitute teachers at Bethel Park High School. They have taught a variety of subjects as needed, including special education, economics, mathematics and civics.

“It has been a really interesting challenge to constantly be working with different students and in different subject areas,” Ava said.

She graduated in December from the University of Miami, Fla., with a biology degree and plans to pursue a career in medicine. A granddaughter of Joseph Dimperio, former Bethel Park acting superintendent, Ava also worked for the school district in a variety of capacities over the summer, including as a tutor and a teacher in the summer remediation program.

“My grandfather just spoke so highly of his brief time at Bethel Park and the special people here, and I’d have to agree with him,” she said. “Everyone has just been so helpful and kind and I sincerely appreciate it.”

Her father is a U.S. Air Force Academy alumnus and recently retired American Airlines pilot. Ava marvels at how this job has brought them back together.

“We are just at such different points in our lives, and it is an absolute blessing to be able to share this special experience together every day,” she said.

High School Principal Joe Villani said the Kings have been a wonderful addition but are hardly unique.

“We have so many substitute teachers who come to us from so many different backgrounds and who often bring with them a wealth of knowledge and/or experience,” he said. “They are integral to everything we do and pivotal to our ability to give in-person instruction every day.”

For information about substitute teaching or working as a paraprofessional, instructional aide, attendance aides or computer paraprofessional for Bethel Park School District, visit www.bpsd.org/SubstitutePositionInformation.aspx.