This school year has marked the first year of our former math teacher Mrs. Houck’s retirement. Though she is retired, Mrs. Houck makes many appearances in school as a substitute for numerous teachers. I took the time to ask Mrs. Houck about some things regarding her retirement and being a substitute teacher for Saegertown High School. 

Mrs. Houck says what she enjoys about retirement most is “that I don’t have to do any work on the weekends like grading piles of papers.” This is also her favorite part about being a substitute teacher—she gets to do what she loves without taking home the work that comes with it. 

Though Mrs. Houck enjoys her free time and mostly spends it gardening from house plants to numerous kinds of flowers in her yard, reading, and spending time with her family, she says the main reason she became a substitute is because she misses all of her wonderful students and coworkers. 

“I miss teaching and interacting with the students, but I also enjoy all the free time I have now,” Mrs. Houck said as she reflected on her past years as a teacher here. “I am also planning on subbing for years to come after this one.” 

Students voiced their thoughts on Mrs. Houck’s return. “It’s nice to have her teach other subjects than math because I don’t like math,” said senior Jace DiJacomo. 

Hailey Miller humorously added, “I love that she’s back to sub because she doesn’t yell at us to do our work like she would in math class.” 

Finally, Brooke Newman said, “Mrs. Houck was one of my favorite teachers, and I thought I wouldn’t see her again, so I’m glad she’s subbing.”