Student Emil DeAndreis: Substitute Teacher By Day, Novelist By Night

HOODLINE -- “Beyond Folly” is a collection of stories about Horton Hagerty, a poet who turns to substitute teaching to support his writing. The book is informed by personal experience and observation, but DeAndreis said he bears little resemblance to his protagonist. “He’s a little more easily defeated than I am.” “There are profound differences between being a sub and being a full-time teacher,” said DeAndreis. “Being a sub, you have to work less, and you have to have a better sense of humor. If you get used to kids trying to take little advantages like getting out early, telling you, ‘Oh, we don’t have to do this work,’ then you can have fun with them and laugh it off.” For DeAndreis, working as a sub and coaching baseball at his alma mater, Lowell High School, facilitates his ability to pursue writing as he attends night classes at SF State.