You may have noticed a teacher with a brunette bob weaving through the Lincoln hallways and thought, “There’s Ms. Hennessy!” However, if you take a closer look, you’ll realize that this woman is not Ms. Hennessy, but Kelly Ranalli, a regular substitute at Lincoln since 2023.
Ranalli used to be a full-time history teacher in Philadelphia, PA and later Ventura, CA. Her decision to substitute teach came about by chance while listening to the radio.
“I hadn’t worked in a few years, just bringing up the kids when they were younger. […] I happened to be listening to OPB, and they were talking about the teacher shortage in Portland Public Schools,” said Ranalli. “I was like, ‘I can do that.’”
A Philadelphia native, Ranalli attended Temple University for secondary education and minored in history. Having two children attend Lincoln has made it easier for Ranalli to connect with the student body. She describes the atmosphere she strives to create in her classrooms.
“It was always my goal to reach out to everyone, even the kids who looked completely miserable on day one. I think as a substitute that’s still my goal, to show each kid that they belong and it’s a safe space with me,” said Ranalli.
One of Ranalli’s favorite classroom memories was accidentally being assigned to an English Language Learner class in California. “
My first day teaching, I realized that none of them spoke English, […] and so I went to the administration, and they were like, ‘Oh, oops. So you have to go get certified [to teach this class],’” said Ranalli. “That ended up being my most wonderful class, just really learning to adapt and simplify the instruction.”
Ranalli’s dad, a federal agent specializing in Arabic linguistics, inspired her to love her job.
“[My dad] inspired me to love what I do for a living. He was recently sick, battling cancer, and I think what got him out of the hospital so quickly was his passion for work and wanting to get back to it,” said Ranalli. “He truly loves what he does. He could have retired a long time ago. You just have to love what you do on a daily basis.”
Ranalli advises aspiring educators. “[Teach] and stay passionate about it. It’s something that’s not valued enough in our society, so it’s wonderful to see people who are doing it for all the right reasons of raising the future generation,” said Ranalli. “The best teachers lead with love and mutual respect.”