Staff Feature Writing

About 50 years ago, Charles T. Mangum was testing his skills on fastballs. About 25 years ago, he was a colonel in the air force. Since then, he has taken on possibly an even tougher task; substitute teaching.

Good subbing takes a variety of talents. Like all teachers, subs have to be good leaders. Good enough to be able to control a classroom full of students. Subs have to fill in for different subjects, so they need a solid knowledge of many subjects. Flexibility is key because different classes will be doing different things. And a touch of improvisation is important to take on lesson plans on the fly. Subs work with less control than your average teacher.

Mangum has gotten good at all of these qualities over the course of his life, which has prepared him for substitute teaching. Mangum's leadership can be accounted to his jobs in the air force. And his flexibility was on display during his life in college, where he juggled playing three sports and being an air force ROTC.

Mangum went to Southwest Texas State College, now Texas State, in pursuit of following his dad's path. "My dad was a principle, coach, teacher," Mangum says. "So I grew up in the education business as a kid." Soon, though, his focus drifted to other things. An air force ROTC, Mangum played football and baseball for three years, as well as basketball for one. During his junior year, Mangum was offered a pro contract to join the Houston Colt .45's, a newly made MLB team. He accepted the offer and dropped out of school during his junior year to play. In spring training, though, Mangum was released from the team. So he reentered school and graduated in his fifth year, 1963.

After graduating, Mangum was obligated to join the air force, where he moved his way up the ladder from second lieutenant to first lieutenant to captain. After five years of service in the air force, Mangum left in order to become a coach and a teacher in Houston, but returned a few years later. He worked his way up to colonel in the air force before he retired in 1993. He worked as chief of plans of fifth army in San Antonio before retiring again, this to time to become a substitute teacher. He started working at McCallum in 2004, but left to help victims of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana in 2005. He returned to McCallum in 2007.

Ever since then, Mr. Magnum has taken on the challenge of subbing. This semester Mangum took over the classes Richard Fidelman left when he retired. The previous long-term sub for these classes wanted to become a full time teacher, but after trying to deal with these students whenever Fidelman wasn't there she decided to give up on that dream. Despite the tough challenge of subbing, Mangum continues his work in his old age. "I am out here every day," Mangum says, "because I can adjust to English, History, Math, and fill in, keep the classes going." Mangum knows the importance subs have in giving many students education. If he wanted to, Mangum, being a certified teacher, could be teaching a social studies class full time. But he finds the value in subbing instead. "I like substituting because I'm retired, and I can fill in for Mr. Garrison whenever he needs teachers," says Mangum. "I really do like the students, and I'm older, but I think it keeps me in touch with what's going on. I'm only looking for the best in everybody, and I like substituting because I can maybe inspire someone, encourage them, and so by substituting I get to see more students at McCallum."