“When you don’t have time to think about it, just do it,” said Mrs. Jamie Gunville, a substitute teacher at NDA who has previously worked in a couple of other roles.

Gunville has always lived in Green Bay, and she graduated from Carthage College with a major in Athletic Training and a minor in Health Education and Psychology.

“I have always loved watching sports even though I was never really good at them,” she said. “My school also didn’t have many opportunities, which made it hard.”

Gunville’s inspiration also came from attending the Mueller Athletic Camp during high school where she learned many skills and helped people with some injuries. She said she “knew it was what I wanted to do within the first ten minutes of attending.”

But she could not find many jobs in that field because it is a field that not only prioritizes men but is also “very competitive in the Midwest since it requires training elsewhere.” Thus, Gunville decided to work in something a bit different.

When she came back to her home city, she decided to become a substitute teacher. “Although I was not taught to teach, I love it, and the journey was worth it too,” she said.

Gunville thinks her degree “prepared me more than I ever thought. It’s like my brain is always watching things and predicting actions ahead of time.”

She also said her athletic training “taught me to keep calm and always know what to do without much time to think–whether it is in sports or in the classroom.  That attitude has helped me a lot in my life as a sub,” she said.

Gunville has now been a substitute teacher for 11 years and is planning on still being one for a couple more.

She works with students of all ages from kindergartners to seniors.

“I love little kids because I get to control their little bodies, but high schoolers are mature, which is fun too,” she said.

Gunville loves all the variety that comes with being a sub.

“Not only am I in control of the classroom, but we can have fun and get work done at the same time too,” she said.

She also enjoys all the different schools, grades and subjects.

“For high school, I still know all the basic skills, and I always learn new things,” she said, “but I also love being with little kids and playing with them.”

However, the part she enjoys the most about her job is that she teaches kids in another perspective, and that she “sees things in them that other teachers don’t see.” Gunville has made many friendships throughout the years, especially with the band kids who call her “Mama G.”

She is also so close with the students because she was a paraprofessional at NDA which consists of “helping scholars adjust to the school and working with them basically all the time which is really fun and rewarding.”

With all that experience in schools, Gunville says that her favorite role is “being a mom to my kids and raising them, which has been my greatest pleasure ever.”