Louisville doctor doubles as substitute, gives paycheck back to school system

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky doctor has been doing double duty at school, stepping in as a substitute teacher to help ease classroom shortages.

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Greg Ciliberti, a semi-retired primary care physician who grew up in Louisville, spends two Fridays every month as a substitute in the school system he attended as a child, WLKY-TV reported.

To help Jefferson County Public Schools, he donates his paycheck back to the school district, earmarking it for the teachers’ budget.

“Much to my surprise, I found out you don’t actually have to be a teacher to be a substitute,” Ciliberti told the television station. “So I became an emergency substitute teacher.”

Ciliberti has substituted in classes from kindergarten to middle school. On Friday, he stepped in at Cane Run Elementary School to substitute for a kindergarten class, WHAS-TV reported.

The doctor said it was rewarding to work with children.

“I think we could solve our teacher problem pretty quickly by just having people who are sitting at home, and you know, a little bored, who want to do something different. It’s challenging but very enjoyable,” Cilberti told WHAS. “I look forward to it every day; I think about it when I’m not here I think, Friday’s just around the corner.’”

This past Friday, Ciliberti was subbing for a teacher who was involved in an automobile accident and will be recovering for an indefinite amount of time, WLKY reported. Ciliberti is donating his paycheck to help with her medical expenses.

“He likes to make those connections with them circulate around the room work with kids one on one and talk with them,” Cane Run Elementary Principal Christie Horn told the television station. “He’s very soft-spoken, kind, just there to help.”

He also hopes that his example will help inspire other adults to pitch in.

“I’d love the kids to know that there are adults who they’ve never met before who actually care about them and their futures,” Cilberti told WLKY. “That would be something I would love to see.”

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