Saratoga parent takes over as long-term substitute for departing English teacher

Dimock teaches an English 9 class about “The Odyssey” on Jan. 13.

After her husband was hired for a job late last semester that required him to frequently travel, veteran English 9 and 10 teacher Kelly Wissolik began trying to figure out how she was going to care for her two young children while also teaching three English classes. 

Ultimately, she made the difficult decision to leave the school where she has taught for more than two decades, although she hopes that she can eventually resume working in the profession in a few years once her children are older.

Replacing Wissolik as a long-term substitute for this semester is Andrew Dimock, a Saratoga High parent who has an extensive background in English and teaching. His younger daughter Hannah is a sophomore, and his older daughter Katie is a 2021 alumna. 

Dimock graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, with a Bachelor of Arts in the humanities, where he studied classical and modern literature. Following college, he taught English at a private girls’ high school in Providence, R.I., and social studies at Amherst Regional High School in Massachusetts, where he once attended school. 

To further explore his interest in English, Dimock attended Yale University for his master’s degree in English and English literature, focusing on American fiction and poetry in the 19th and 20th century. 

During his time at Yale, Dimock served as a teaching assistant, where he met with undergraduates in small discussion sessions after lectures. After Dimock passed his qualifying exam and earned a Master of Philosophy, Dimock was able to teach his own classes as a faculty instructor rather than a professor. 

He taught a class at Yale called the Literature of War, which focused on literature about war through an American focus. At Yale, Dimock met his now-wife, Sharon Palmer, and eventually moved with her to Palo Alto after she accepted a job at Stanford, where she now works as an Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. 

Dimock was unable to finish his PhD program because of the move. Still, Dimock continued to pursue his passion in English. 

“I taught a class [at Stanford as a teaching fellow] called ‘Hollywood Goes to War,’ focusing on silent movies about WWI and contemporary times, too,” Dimock said. “I really like to incorporate film in my classes when I can because I think it complements [literature] really nicely.” 

However, as his wife’s job became busier, Dimock needed to leave full-time teaching and become the primary caregiver for their children. He also pursued part-time jobs in education. One of Dimock’s past part-time roles was teaching special education at Green Middle School in Palo Alto as an aide, which he considers “a really important part of my education as a teacher.”

“It was a really great learning experience because when you work with students and accompany them to their classes, you see the teaching styles of teachers across the full curriculum,” Dimock said. “It was really instructive to see all those different teachers, their styles and what worked for them and what didn’t.” 

Four years ago, Dimock’s family moved to Saratoga and he began to take on roles in the schools, including the Redwood Middle School cross country team coach and a member of the Executive Board of the Saratoga Music Boosters for the past two years. 

In the past couple of years, Dimock had time to start working as a substitute for the district because his kids were older and didn’t need as much care.

His first experience as a long-term substitute was for a biology teacher at Los Gatos High who was on medical leave. The teacher would teach the first class of the day while Dimock watched, learning how to teach subsequent classes. 

Along with now teaching Wissolik’s three classes — two English 9s and one English 10 — Dimock is continuing to act as an  emergency substitute in other classes. 

“Once I started subbing, I realized that I really wanted to be back in full-time teaching,” Dimock said. 

Dimock has enjoyed seeing the English curriculum from a teacher’s perspective, whereas he used to look at it from a parental perspective. 

“I sort of watched the English curriculum and grades nine and ten from a parental perspective, and I even read or reread many books in the curriculum,” Dimock said. “So, when the opportunity came up, I was in a great position to leverage it.” 

Because of his strong background in classical literature, the transition from Wissolik to Dimock was relatively smooth. For example, he has prior experience teaching “The Odyssey,” the next book in the English 9 curriculum, to students ranging from the middle school to college level. 

For Dimock, being a long term-substitute has brought many positive changes, including being able to build relationships with students, something he normally cannot do as a short-term substitute. 

“It’s really great to have your own physical space as a teacher without bouncing between campuses, classrooms and departments all the time,” Dimock said. “And, English is sort of my home.”

Dimock added that he “got glee from being able to decorate the classroom” with some of his own items and that he enjoyed being able to return to favorite classics including “All Quiet on the Western Front” that his sophomore class is currently reading.

Dimock said that he is thankful for the support he has received from his fellow English teachers, who have shared activities and assignments with him.

Along with subbing, Dimock plans to pursue a teaching credential program, which will begin this summer, and he hopes to find employment with the district or another nearby one. In previous teaching positions, Dimock didn’t need teaching credentials as private schools and colleges do not require them, and he was hired at a public school during a national teacher shortage, where the traditional requirement was waived.

“If the first week was any indication, I feel like I’m really in the right place, and I’d like to return as a full-time teacher,” Dimock said in early January. “I’ve done many different things, but all of them have involved teaching in one way or another, and this really feels right. I have a lot that I want to share about literature.”