Everyone knows what it’s like to be a student, being in the classroom for hours on end, dealing with constant studying and homework.

But what about the kids whose lives have always revolved around the world of education? Imagine a double dose of Day Creek: being a regular student coupled with the presence of seeing your teacher at home each day.

That is the life of a teacher’s kid.

Seventh graders Scarlett B., Matthew H., and eighth grader Ella G., know a different DCIS experience. They’re not just students. They are the kids of teachers on campus, and they  have lived the majority of their lives under a different type of microscope.

“Since I was born, [my parents] had already been teaching,” said Ella.

From the very start, Ella has split time between her home and campus. Unlike her peers, she doesn’t sit around waiting for her parents to drive home from work.

“It’s nice because I [always] have a place to go after school,” said Ella.

Being in a safe sanctuary with her parents provides someone to rely on whenever something is needed.

“[My mom is] able to relate with the work I do because of [her working] at the same grade level,” said Matthew, “She can help with homework, classwork and whatever else that needs to be done.”

Yet everything positive comes with a challenge, especially when you’re a teacher’s kid. The average Renaissance student knows half of this struggle. They feel the pressure to do everything right. For a teacher’s kid, perfectionism is everywhere.

“It’s a little difficult sometimes since you feel stressed that you need to set a good example for [your parents],“ said Scarlett. “You have to do especially well in homework, assignments and grades.”

Maintaining good grades while serving as a role model isn’t always easy.

Would you act like that in front of your parents? is a reality for Scarlett, Matthew and Ella. “[My mom] can always watch [me] in the hallways,” Matthew said.

Constant supervision from teacher-parents comes with a peer presumption that these kids are handed an answer key for every quiz or test. But Scarlett confirmed that there are no shortcuts for earning A’s.

“My mom never really gives me answers to anything. If I need it, sometimes she would help me last year because I was in her class and she understood the curriculum that I was learning,” said Scarlett.

Being a mom or dad and a teacher on campus allows for a unique perspective into their kids’ lives.

“Being a parent, I saw what the school side for [a student] looks like,” said Harris. “I see a lot of the struggles kids are having. Whether it be managing their homework [or] extracurricular activities.”

In experiencing life together on and off campus, a teacher and their child have a mutual understanding that their lives aren’t what other students think. Kids understand the weight that their parents carry.

“I can see how stressed my parents are at home. My mom brings a stack of things wherever she goes,” said Ella. “My dad always has work to do and always has kids coming in at those times. They don’t understand the stress this creates for teachers. Most kids only see the teacher in class but miss the never-ending grading, requests for missing assignments, and help that they need on things explained in class already. It is an unending, overwhelming job.”

Having witnessed their parents in an educational setting has also led these kids to consider pursuing a different career path.

“I’m not sure what I really want to do,” Scarlett said, “But I [also] don’t know if I want to do the same thing as my mom. I want to do something where I could have my own life outside of work. Sometimes my mom is drowning. That doesn’t seem appealing to me. I‘d like to go down my own path.”

This story was originally published on The Day Creek Howl on October 13, 2023.