Get to Know WCS Substitute Teacher of the Year Mike Costik
Published September 1, 2016
With Substitute Teacher Appreciation Week happening September 5-9, Williamson County Schools would like to publicly thank the hundreds of substitute teachers who are making a difference in the lives of students every day.
One of those substitute teachers is 72-year-old Mike Costik, the Williamson County Schools Substitute Teacher of the Year for 2015-16.
Costik began working as a substitute teacher for WCS after retiring in 2003 from his job in sales and marketing.
“The reason I started subbing was during one of my stints with Kodak,” said Costik. “My job was training new salesmen and new technical people. I had two weeks at Kodak where I took a ‘how to teach’ course. It was the best two weeks I ever spent.”
Costik didn’t start out seeing himself as having anything to do with teaching.
“There are three things I said I would never, ever do when I was in high school,” said Costik. “Number one: I was never going to be a salesman. Number two: I was never going to have to stand up in front of a group and talk. Number three: I was never going to be a teacher. That just goes to show how much you know when you’re a junior in high school.”
A year before starting as a substitute teacher, Costik had to have cardiac bypass surgery, a surgery about 95 percent of people don’t survive.
But Costik did, and he looks at every day as a gift and an opportunity to make a difference for the students.
“It’s the kids. It’s the opportunity to perhaps have an impact on somebody’s life,” he said. “If I can reach four or five students a year by something I do, that’s the bottom line for me.”
Even after more than a decade, Costik still wants to do everything he can to improve, for himself and for his students.
“When I’ve done long terms, I’ve always felt like part of the faculty,” said Costik. “That was very much appreciated as well, but when I got Sub of the Year, it kind of said, ‘Okay, you’re part of the family.’ I don’t know if there’s such a thing as a two-peat, but that’s my goal. In my own soul, I’ve got to be shooting for better than last year.”
Williamson County Schools continues to look for great substitute teachers like Mike. If you are interested in becoming a substitute teacher or would like to learn more, visit our website at https://old.wcs.edu/careers/subtitute-teaching/.