Barb grew up in Overland Park, Kansas and attended Kansas State University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Health Education. After college, she had a great opportunity to go to work for Southwestern Bell Telephone, which is where she had worked for 2 summers during her junior and senior years of college. While at Southwestern Bell Telephone, Barb held several management positions during her 35 years of service. In December, 2013, she was offered a buy-out that she couldn’t turn down so she retired.
Having worked a minimum of 50 hours/week for 35 years, Barb found herself needing to fill some time during her sudden retirement. She made some inquiries about substitute teaching and decided to work for Morgan Hunter as a substitute in the De Soto, Bonner, Eudora & Leavenworth school districts. She was excited to be able to put her teaching degree officially to work.
Barb loves the variety of assignments and flexible hours substitute teaching offers. She has a 6-year old granddaughter that she helps with so substitute teaching allows her to be able to adjust her schedule to her granddaughter’s needs. She also has an adult son on the autism spectrum who had amazing teachers while in the De Soto district. Barb says, “subbing in Special Education classes helps me give back to all the wonderful teachers my son had growing up in the De Soto schools and to the kids, like my son, that so desperately need acceptance and love.”
Barb has experience subbing in all grade levels and subject areas. “I enjoy subbing in high school and seeing the independence in the students. I also truly love elementary classes even though they wear me out! It touches my heart when they hug me and tell me they want me to come back and be their substitute again! It really is rewarding, too, when you develop a relationship with a teacher and they call you specifically to sub for them. I always go out of my way to clear my personal schedule to accommodate subbing for him/her.”
Barb always receives excellent reviews from teachers and staff and is also a highly requested substitute. Her classroom performance and day – to – day flexibility and teamwork are why we have chosen Barb to be the March Sub of Month. “I am honored to be named the March substitute teacher of the month, as I know there are a lot of great subs working for MHED! I’m proud to be a part of this team of professional!”
Thank you, Barb! The MHED Team and all of the schools appreciate all that you do!