When teachers call out sick, she shows up. Meet ‘Grandmom,’ Philly’s super substitute.

Annie Gadson retired from a 40-year career in the Philadelphia School District in 2014, but after a few years of travel, it got old.

“I missed the kids,” said Gadson. She soon began substitute teaching in the district, and, two years ago, became the “building sub” at Paul Robeson High School in West Philadelphia, the teacher who shows up daily to cover absences or periods when educators need to be outside the classroom.

Gadson was honored as an extraordinary substitute teacher Tuesday, surprised with flowers, a crystal apple statue, raucous applause, and a giant cardboard check from ESS, the firm that partners with Philadelphia schools to hire and train substitute teachers for the district. ESS gave Gadson its 2024 Impact Award, naming her the best substitute teacher in its Eastern Region-Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

As part of the prize, Gadson won $1,000, and Robeson won $500.

When the adults at the front of the room announced why the student body had gathered in the Robeson auditorium, cheers erupted. “Yo, Grandmom!” someone yelled. “Woohoo! I love you, Grandmom!”

Gadson, 75, was floored, teary, effusive. She continues to teach because of her love for the work, for the students, for Robeson. She knows students’ names, every class’ personality, and she tells her young people: “When I see you, I see my son, my daughter, my grandchildren.”

Lawrence King, principal of Robeson High, said he can’t overstate Gadson’s importance to the school.

“I can’t do what I do without her,” said King. “It just gives me a level of ease, knowing that if a teacher can’t be in a classroom, Mrs. Gadson can be there.”

And while her affection for the students is plain, she’s no pushover: In Grandmom’s class, having a sub doesn’t mean it’s time to goof off. Work will be assigned. Students will learn, she said.

“Students tell other students, ‘Grandmom ain’t gonna let you get away with anything,’” Gadson said. “In the beginning, I tell them, ‘I’ve been around this bush too many times.’”

And so universal is Gadson’s nickname that when she signed a hall pass “Mrs. Gadson” recently, a student recoiled. Who’s “Mrs. Gadson,” the student asked? You have to write “Grandmom.”

The recognition felt like a dream, said Gadson, a Philadelphia native who graduated from West Philadelphia High, Community College of Philadelphia, La Salle University, and Cheyney University. She taught at the now-closed Drew Elementary, Kensington High School, Roxborough High School and Frankford High School.

“I have never in my life received any type of award like this,” Gadson said.

King underscored Gadson’s flexibility and professionalism — she’s called on to teach all grades, all subjects, and she does so with ease.

“They’ve all been good,” said Gadson. “The students here are nice and respectful. I’m learning each day, I’m learning from each one of them.”

And although some people might think about taking a slide at age 75, Gadson has no plans to do so. She needs knee surgery, but once she’s back at it, she’ll be the Robeson building sub again next year, swapping classroom stories with her son, a math teacher in Memphis.

Joe Birmingham, vice president of operations for ESS, said Gadson was chosen from a pool of more than 1,000 substitutes, and stood out not just for her dedication and skill, but also for the way she is revered by the community.

“We’re proud of Ms. Gadson,” said Birmingham. ESS filled 110,000 jobs in the district last year and is on track to fill 142,000 this year.

Gadson’s steadfast service is notable in an era when schools have had a tough time filling substitute jobs. To date, of 163,491 substitute job, the “fill rate” is 58%; last year, 43% of the district’s 251,956 total substitute jobs were filled.

But, Birmingham said, the trend lines are moving in the right direction, and the company is having an easier time finding willing substitutes.

“We are getting people to come back into schools,” said Birmingham.