Students walk into their classroom in the morning and are greeted with the smiling, endearing, substitute teacher, Ms. DuLac. From her gentle poise to her cheerful expressions, Barbra DuLac creates a positive classroom environment.
DuLac has been a substitute teacher since 2007. Before becoming a substitute, DuLac taught at Monroe Middle School.
“I taught language arts,” DuLac said. “I didn’t want to completely quit [teaching] (…) I enjoyed being around the students and I wanted to feel like I was doing something to contribute.”
DuLac’s favorite part of teaching is the people. More specifically, connecting with the students. “[My favorite aspect is] meeting new students and getting to know them.”
One of DuLac’s greatest qualities is that she is very personable. She knows many students’ names from memory. One such student is Blake Kahle (‘25). Kahle provided insight into his personal connection with DuLac. “She knows me by name. [She] is the best substitute in the entire state” and later went on to go as far as the best in the world. Having known DuLac since his freshman year, Kahle praised her as “the G.O.A.T.” [The Greatest of All Time]
Aniyah Ritch (‘25) is another student that adores Ms. DuLac.
“I’ve known her since I was in sixth grade,” Ritch said. “She substituted at my middle school; she knows me by name (…) [and] brightens my world.”
Outside of subbing, DuLac has some hobbies.
“What do I like to do?” she said. “Doing crossword puzzles and reading, keeps [the] mind active.”
In one of the final remarks made by DuLac, she shared a piece of advice for all of her students.
“Don’t stop (…) don’t ever retire,” DuLac began. “It’s important that you keep active. And this is one of my ways of keeping active and enjoying something that I like to do.”
Hopefully she won’t stop substitute teaching any time soon and will continue to spread joy in the lives of many students for a long time to come.
