For most students, school is a time when they are away from their families and are surrounded by their peers. However, some students don’t have this experience because their parents teach at the school they attend. Students who attend a school where their parents are teachers have a unique experience in their learning environment.
Because the teachers at BSM are aware that certain students have a parent who works at BSM, it could lead to teachers holding these students to a higher standard. It could potentially cause these students to feel pressure to act a certain way in class. “I think I’m slightly held to a higher standard not only by other teachers, but the students especially think that since I’m a teacher’s kid, I must be good at school, which also isn’t always true,” junior Jonathan McMerty-Brummer, son of Spanish teacher Matthew McMerty-Brummer, said.
The opposite side of that is it could be a benefit because it may be easier to form a closer relationship with your teachers. For example, it might be easier to get some extra homework help and even to have a conversation with them due to the fact they work with your parent. “They know I’m Mr. Hanson’s daughter. So I feel like it’s easier that I can talk to other teachers,” sophomore Cass Hanson, daughter of the physical education teacher Casey Hanson, said.
Having him as a teacher was difficult. It was fun having him because we could have inside jokes in class, but I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve been used during examples in this [Spanish] class.”
— Jonathan McMerty-Brummer
These students might even have their parents as a teacher, which can be a bizarre experience for them. They may experience being graded, called on, and asking questions to their parent. Also, if the teacher shares stories about their family or even about them it can tend to be awkward for the student. “Having him as a teacher was difficult. It was fun having him because we could have inside jokes in class, but I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve been used during examples in this [Spanish] class,” McMerty-Brummer said.