Near the start of second semester, longtime Big Sky math teacher Rilee Zilkey went on maternity leave and was replaced by previous full-time substitute Bill Ballinger.  

But while many see Ballinger as the long-term math sub stepping into Ms. Zilkey’s shoes for the remainder of the school year, Ballinger is much more than just your average sub. 

In 2003, Ballinger began his service with the US Army, where he served for 20 years and retired only three years ago in 2023. 

Since then, he’s coached collegiate level track at Carroll College while simultaneously working as an adjunct professor teaching freshmen biology, followed by a stint as a coach for cross country and track at Hellgate High School.

Before his service though, Ballinger graduated from Hellgate High School in 1986. When asked what the switch was like from part-time substitute teaching to full-time classroom teacher, Ballinger responded, “You get to know the students better, you’re not just in essence babysitting a class, you’re actually doing some teaching.” He continued by talking about how he understands the difficulty coming into a classroom with a pre-established teaching style. 

In a recent interview, Ballinger explained the depth of his degrees. He was a biology and chemistry major, along with being pre-med with the intention of going to medical school. When realizing that medical school wasn’t a good fit for him, he came back to Missoula to fully get into teaching and coaching, eventually bringing him to Big Sky to teach and take over the classroom setting. 

However, Ballinger wasn’t easy to find, as discovered in an interview with Jennifer Courtney, head Big Sky High School principal. She explained the high demand for teachers right now. 

“It’s almost the state of current education…if you were to ask me five years ago, we would have been batting away applicants, and now we were knocking down doors,” Courtney said. “There was literally nobody.” 

Courtney used other examples of finding vacant Big Sky teaching positions to fill, including in the PE department, explaining that she was looking for a teacher replacement at semester and had zero applicants. This is extremely different from earlier years, she emphasized.

“We hired Mr. Ballinger in a totally different position, he was going to be an academic interventionist,” Courtney said. The first and former replacement for Zilkey, Mr. Golden had to back out after getting hired at the University of Montana, and on short notice Courtney was left without a long-term solution.

“It didn’t even dawn on me at the time that Mr.Ballinger had a math degree, and I was like oh my gosh what am I gonna do?” Courtney said. After calling HR and learning that Mr. Ballinger had a math degree, she had her solution. 

Ballinger, being a teacher who has previously substituted at Big Sky, had an advantage over someone totally new to the school.

Courtney said, “There’s an ease on admins end..it’s less having to help someone adjust to the system,” Courtney said. ”They know the bell schedule, they know how to submit their attendance, and write an ODR..contacting parents, all the logistical things.” 

Having a teacher who already has background knowledge about the school and how things work makes the learning process easier. In an interview with Noel Nesmith, Big Sky’s instructional coach, she shared other things about the beginning of the learning process some teachers might not think of. 

“Thinking about somebody that’s new here and thinking about all the things you don’t know you know..how do I make copies, how do I order things for my classroom…it’s just being able to support teachers in that way so it’s one less thing that they have to try and navigate,” Nesmith said. 

Nesmith has worked at Big Sky for 10 years and works with new teachers to help them navigate what might be an unfamiliar environment for some. 

“Instructional coaches support initiatives both within the building and within the district..I help teachers and staff understand how to implement those initiatives,” Nesmith explained. 

She continued by sharing strategies she’s helped teachers carry out in the classroom. 

“What is it that you want your students to learn, how can we make sure they get there; what if they don’t?.. really focusing it instead of on the teacher and what the teacher may or may not do it’s really guided by the students and that data,” Nesmith said. 

Nesmith also mentioned speaking with Mr. Ballinger, saying, “I got to know him a little before he took over for Ms. Zilkey…I’ve touched base with him a few times, just checking in.” 

Ballinger seems to be fitting in well since the semester switch. In an interview with sophomore Ruby Darrow, she compliments Ballinger’s teaching style.

“Mr.Ballinger gave us a homework packet and…did more hands-on things…and  I understand him a little bit more,” Darrow said. ”I  like him as a teacher and as a person, he’s very nice.” 

The switch at semester from Zilkey to Ballinger was challenging, but students are adjusting. 

“Going from Ms. Zilkey…to Mr Ballinger…it was different…I understand it more and I like it more,” Darrow said. “So while there have been some changes in Zilkey’s room, some things have stayed the same.” 

Ballinger said keeping things consistent has been one of his main goals. 

“This is Ms. Zilkey’s classroom…I haven’t made any big changes in teaching, (the classroom runs) very similarly in terms of how we assign homework, and how we do tests and quizzes,” Ballinger said.