Substitute teacher Nemir Naayem watches the hallways at Austin Premiere Academy during TAKS testing.
Substitute teacher Nemir Naayem watches the hallways at Austin Premiere Academy during TAKS testing. Caleb Bryant Miller

While often overlooked, substitute teachers play an integral role in public schools, where an average teacher misses 11 days of class. 2015 Substitute Teacher of the Year Josephine Brewington says her job is to make sure that students don’t get a day off while their usual teacher is absent. Students are kept engaged and reminded that their school is a stable, predictable environment. (NPR)

John Reynolds was the newsletters editor for the Tribune from 2013 to 2017. Prior to that, he was a reporter for Quorum Report, a non-partisan online political newsletter focusing on the ins and outs under...