Many students know Mr. Glyn Long as somewhat of a local celebrity to Gallatin High School. One may think of a substitute teacher as a brief replacement; A face you will see for a moment until they are replaced again by the teacher you have gotten to know well that year or semester. However, there are so many more things to being a substitute teacher. Mr. Long truly exemplifies this fact of life that substitute teachers are not just a filler, but have astonishing lives of their own.  

Mr. Long’s life starts in London, England before the breakout of World War II. Despite his current residency in the United States of America, this substitute has found work in Britain, Germany, Zambia, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico. The sub’s life is filled with several interesting careers, including a position with the Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force, the honor of working for the Mapping Sector of the Central African Forestry Department, as well as a musicality as an Executive Director and chorister in an award winning Welsh-language chorus in Cincinnati. He was also a director of a language school for 22 years in Germany and the US. He has even accomplished much as a distinguished writer, has experienced life as an actor, and has seen all sides of the world, not just the small area which is Bozeman, Montana. 

Speaking of Mr. Long’s writing, it expands to a published book accessible to our public through the Bozeman Public Library or for purchase online, titled, Dryad: From Tree to Shining Tree. Additionally, he has also been awarded first prize for his work on a self reflective essay “My Mini-Workout” in a literary competition put on by the Emerson Cultural Center. To describe his work, “My Mini-Workout”, Mr. Long discusses his real life experiences by us of, “literary flourishes into the realm of fantasy.” 

  The career with the Forestry Department in Central Africa seemed to be a grueling place of war as he describes his aiding of Belgian refugees and restless days working tirelessly towards his job, a quality we still see today in Mr. Long as he is almost always subbing a class in our very own high school. In this Mini Work Out essay Mr. Long specifically talks about Arthur Jones and the effects coming into play onto his life from this man’s disappearance. When Arthur Jones is found missing, Mr. Long is sent to go through the possessions and research of Jones like a modern day Sherlock Holmes. He finds several books on poetry and yoga, one standing out called “Hatha Yoga”. A book filled with notes from the prior owner giving a workout routine. This routine would ultimately inspire him to new levels, with meditation being the key. This meditation would even lead back to memories of a childhood and give him the ideas for his future novel Dryad: From Tree to Shining Tree.

Having an exceptional life experience so far, Mr. Long has seen all sides of the world and shows this through his eclectic personality. This man has made an astonishing impact on the world around him, and especially in the community within Gallatin High School. He proves in every class that he visits that he is a friendly man who will talk to one about any experience and makes a positive name for himself around the school. Mr. Long is a pillar in the Bozeman community and has brought up Gallatin High School's culture to new heights merely by his presence. It is an honor to have such an accomplished man helping teach at our school, and who knows what might be Mr. Long’s next endeavor.