Kent ISD — Melvin Wimbley stands in the hallway of the Grandville Early Education Center as a group of students walk by.
One student raises a hand for a high-five, and Wimbley — who likes to be called Mr. Melvin — instantly responds. Soon, all the students join in, hands up for high-fives and fist bumps.
“This is what I like doing,” Wimbley says. “The fact that I can talk, I can encourage and at the end of the day, I can show love to the children.”
Wimbley, who is in his 70s, is often referred to as a “super sub” in Kent ISD’s Great Start Readiness Program. He has worked in a number of districts such as Kentwood, Grand Rapids, Thornapple Kellogg, Caledonia, Wyoming and Grandville.
“I was an IBM computer repairman for 32 years, so I am used to getting a call and just going where I was needed,” he said. “I traveled all over the state. So I am used to them calling me in the morning, telling me where they need me and then I just go.”
Melissa Buurstra, Kent ISD GSRO supervisor, said Wimbley is known for his gratitude, which includes an enthusiastic “Thank you so much!” every morning when he receives his classroom assignment.
‘It’s been a wonderful second career.’
— substitute preschool teacher Melvin Wimbley
Buurstra said Wimbley’s positivity extends to the hallways and classrooms that he visits, often telling people how much he enjoys and appreciates working with students.
“Melvin has become well known across the county for his upbeat attitude, kindness and genuine love for supporting children and classrooms,” she said. “His gratitude is contagious, and a true reminder of the joy found in meaningful work.”
A Happy Accident
Wimbley readily admits that working with young children was nowhere on his radar — not even close — when he retired.
The journey started with a call from a brother-in-law who needed a ride for a substitute teaching interview in Muskegon. While there, Wimbley said, the principal told him about the need for substitutes.
He turned down an on-the-spot offer, but after thinking about it changed his mind and mentioned it to his daughter-in-law, who told him Grand Rapids Public Schools was looking for substitute teachers as well.
Wimbley signed up to become a substitute aide at Grand Rapids Public Schools.
“So I chose which school I wanted to work at, and then I got to the school (in Grand Rapids) only to find out I wasn’t signed up there,” he recalled.
It turned out he had signed up for a preschool sub position at a Wyoming school.
“I went to the school and I told the principal I had made a mistake and that I was not good with preschoolers,” Wimbley said. “They asked if I could at least work one day and they would find somebody else.”
Wimbley went into the classroom, sat down at one of the tables and began meeting the students, when one of them said “You’re Papa.”
He realized it was his great-granddaughter, Raelyn, sitting across from him.
“She came over, sat next to me and said ‘I am going to teach you how to be a teacher,’” he recalled.
At the end of the day, Wimbley signed up for the rest of the two-week opening.
Building Confidence and Having Fun
“If you hold the pencil like a crab you will have better control,” Wimbley tells a preschooler named Landon. “That is the trick Mr. Melvin learned in school.”
Wimbley demonstrates, then helps adjust Landon’s fingers. Landon slowly writes the letters of his name.
“Look at you!” Wimbley says as Landon grins. “Great job!”
Whether he’s helping a student write, cleaning up breakfast trays, joining class activities or doing his favorite task — making paper airplanes — Wimbley said it all comes down to building connections with the students.
“It’s mostly just talking to the students. You’re helping them build their confidence and character.”
It’s also about having some fun.
“Mr. Melvin, have you used shaving cream?” asks teacher Staci Moore after reading a book about hygiene to her students.
“Well, only to shave my head,” he replies and puts his hand on his head as students giggle.
This past year, Wimbley has reduced his substitute teaching from four days a week to two so he can spend more time with his own family, which includes four children, 18 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
He said he has enjoyed working with so many students and staff over a decade of being a sub.
“I am so appreciative to my great-grandchildren Raelyn and Lamot for teaching me how to be a teacher,” he says. “It’s been a wonderful second career.”
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