Living Artfully
Julia M. Conley
Retired Art Teacher
Julia M. Conley, originally from Chillicothe, Ohio, moved to Portsmouth, Ohio her junior year and graduated from Clay High School in 1970. She graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1975, with a BA in Art Education, K-12. She achieved her National Board Certification in Adolescent and Young Adult Art in 2005 and renewed in 2015. Julie taught in WV schools for 28 years, including Dunlow Elementary, Trap Hill Middle School, Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School and High School, and Sissonville High School. She is married to the Rev. Dr. Ellis Conley, a United Methodist Pastor. They both retired from their careers in 2019 and reside in Hurricane, WV. They have two grown sons, John and David, and three grandsons. Julie spends her time caring for her grandsons, eco-printing, teaching painting classes, and volunteering one day a week at an elementary school as their art teacher.
Live Artfully—To sub or not to sub?
When I retired, I declared I was done, and nothing could get me back in the classroom. But then it was late July, and all the school supplies were back in the stores, and I got a little sentimental. Should I keep my name on the substitute list or not? I came up with pros and cons to help me decide.
Pros: I can work when I want, at the schools that I want. I can just say yes to jobs in my field. I can say no when I don’t want to go. There is no homework! If I sub at my old school, I can still hang out at lunch with my friends. I can take my little bag of emergency lesson plans and the kids will love having a break. And did I mention there is no homework?
Cons: Sometimes I won’t know till 5:30am whether I am working or not. What if they put me in a Math class? If I say no too many times, they won’t call me again. Even if I sub at my own school, it’s not my class anymore, someone else is in charge. If the kids don’t know me, I will have to establish my authority all over again. Not every teacher leaves good lesson plans. Even if I hang out with my teacher friends, I don’t have a stake in what’s going on anymore.
Everyone’s situation is different, and I can’t make this decision for you. These are just some things to consider. Here’s hoping you make the decision that makes you happy and allows you to live artfully
Julie Conley
WVAEA Retired Representative