Being a teacher’s kid doesn’t have all the glories that everyone thinks it does. But there are things that can be very convenient whenever something might be needed. 

   “One of the biggest advantages has been always having someone to go talk to if I am having a bad day,” senior Isabella Morrison, daughter of principal Danny Morrison, said. 

   Even those parents of teachers’ kids have a lot of advantages when it comes to teaching within the district of their child. 

   “I love being able to see my daughter throughout the day.  Sometimes this mama just needs a hug from her baby girl,” math teacher Bobbi Swisher, mother of junior Jazzmyn Swisher, said. 

   Sophomore Nate Banfield said he loves the advantage of getting snacks from his mom, JBMS teacher Emily Banfield, but dislikes the fact that she knows everything he does in school.

   While there is a lot of good that comes out of being a teacher’s kid, there’s also some negatives. A lot of teachers’ kids feel a lot of pressure, whether it’s at school or at home. 

   “Everyone thinks of you as a teacher’s kid and the teachers will expect more out of you and it’s more pressure to make sure you do everything and be a good student,” junior Jazzyman Swisher said.

   Even sometime’s people would question if the children of teachers had it easier.

      “My successes in school were also at times questioned, as some students believed I had it easier because of my mother,” sophomore Alyson Alcantara, daughter of South Elementary third grade teacher Shannon Alcantara,  said.

   Some teachers have even been teachers kids at one point. They might not have enjoyed it too much at the moment, but love being on the other side of it. 

   “Being a teacher’s kid stunk!  I had one at the elementary, and one at the high school.  They knew everything that I did – good and bad. But oh how I love being on the parent side now,” Swisher said. 

   “My dad was my elementary PE teacher and my mom was my high school English and journalism teacher. Dad made me call him ‘coach’ at school and I thought it was incredibly mean. Later he told me that he had to do that because he didn’t want all 40 kindergartners calling him ‘Dad,’” WHS English and journalism teacher Amanda Adler said. “By the time I got to high school, I didn’t know any different. My parents were just a natural part of my school day.”

   In some ways, teacher kids have had a school experience unlike other students. 

   “Having my mother in elementary school was a great experience as it allowed for me to be close to her and ask for help whenever trouble arose. She allowed me to be confident in academics. In some ways, she was a safety blanket. However, during middle and high school, I learned to grow and speak up for myself because she was not there to do it for me all the time,” Alcantara said 

   Having a parent with them through some of the ups and downs of their school experiences is what students like the most about being the child of an educator.

   “My favorite is when I have a bad day and I can just go to her and, as much as I hate to say it, she’s pretty fun at dances,” Jazzmyn Swisher said. 

   Morrison said one of her best memories is “dancing with my dad at prom while wearing the dress my mom wore when they went to prom together.”

   Many times, teacher kids would get stuck at school with not much to do beyond their own classes, so they made the best out of the situation. 

   “After school, my siblings and I, and other teachers’ kids would go play in the gym, go outside, or even watch a movie in one of the classrooms to kill time,” sophomore Rachel Henderson said, daughter of South elementary fourth/fifth grade teacher Amber Glenn.

   Sometimes teachers kids feel at times these situations brought them closer to their siblings and brought out life long friendships. 

   “I also believe that the bond I share with my sister has flourished because of all the time we spent together after school hours, trying to come up with games to play while waiting for our mom to finish up her schoolwork. I am truly thankful for the experience and the friends I made because of it,” Alcantara said.