Gonna be alright

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Katie Bowers

What Greg Nicholson enjoys most is building connections with students as a KSD substitute teacher.

The sound of reggae echoes out of a classroom down the strait of the gray-colored hallway. Inside, a smiling man seated in his signature red sweatshirt hums the tune of Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds”: Don’t worry, about a thing ‘cause every little thing, gonna be alright

Even though he can’t play an instrument or read a note, Greg Nicholson, KSD substitute teacher, loves music. Every day he ends class by playing songs for his students with everything from the Irish National Anthem to Les Misérables. After COVID-19, Nicholson’s staple song became “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley and the Wailers because of the outlook it preaches on life.

I try to inspire and encourage students to be more optimistic about the future because I feel optimistic myself, and I need to repay that by making everyone else feel it too.

— Greg Nicholson

“I like the message of the song because to me, the message is [that] you should work hard, play hard, study hard, sleep hard and at the end of the day, don’t worry about a thing,” Nicholson said. “I always tell kids just do your best and don’t worry about the other stuff. If I can make it to 71 they’re going to be just fine. I try to inspire and encourage students to be more optimistic about the future because I feel optimistic myself, and I need to repay that by making everyone else feel it too.”

After graduating from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a degree in history, Nicholson began working as a case worker for the Missouri Department of Mental Health. Here, Nicholson worked with psychiatrically ill adults and made sure they had proper resources, benefit applications and housing before being discharged from the hospital. It wouldn’t be until 29 years later, looking for a part-time job to help pay for health insurance, that Nicholson would retire and discover his love for teaching.

“Someone suggested being a substitute teacher, so I applied to three different districts and Kirkwood was the first to say yes,” Nicholson said. “My wife and I live in the Kirkwood School District, so I knew it was a great place with great kids and a great community. My favorite part quickly became the interactions with the students and staff and being a part of this community.”

If Nicholson isn’t subbing for a history class, he said that he loves being a substitute teacher in world language. In each class, Nicholson goes out of his way to introduce himself in the language he is subbing for. Jill Harness, Spanish teacher, said Nicholson is her first pick as a substitute teacher because of his excitement to be a language learner and the love he has for the kids. 

“Mr. Nicholson is so much more than a sub,” Harness said. “He finds a way to connect with each kid and wants to make people’s days brighter. He is passionate about what he does and is  the epitome of what a good human should be.”

He finds a way to connect with each kid and wants to make people’s days brighter. He is passionate about what he does and is  the epitome of what a good human should be.

— Jill Harness

What Nicholson said he found since becoming a teacher is that there is so much more to the job than just teaching. Nicholson said although he is flattered by teachers often requesting him to be their substitute teacher, he knows it is not always for his teaching ability. Instead, it is because of the way he cares for the children and makes them feel special each day.

“Mr. Nicholson is really intentional and remembers every student,” Phoebe Canatsey, junior, said. “He always knows what is going on in your life, even if it was some random thing you told him a year ago. I’m always really excited when I see him in my classroom, and he is even more excited to see all the kids. It just makes you feel special and cared for.”

Throughout the years, one of Nicholson’s favorite parts of his job has been teaching kids in kindergarten and seeing them grow all the way up to high school. He even keeps a box of all the things students have gifted to him over the years. He said with his wife and sister-in-law being his only relatives in St. Louis, the KSD community has become his family.

“These kids represent the future, and I feel really positive about the future when I see them,” Nicholson said. “Being here with these kids, I feel like I have a built-in family. That is what I love so much about being at school – when I’m at school, I’m with my family.”

For Nicholson, he said it isn’t about the money anymore. He plans on being a substitute teacher for as long as he can because he truly loves what he does.

“If I ever get to the point where I am physically or mentally not able to be a substitute teacher, that would be so depressing for me because I really love what I do,” Nicholson said. “I feel like I have a place and am doing something. I’m here because I want to be here, not because I have to be here. And I’m living that dream right now.”