For some teachers, they see school as a place to work, while to others, it’s their second home. Central Kitsap High School is filled with all kinds of connections, including students whose parents work just down the hall, and teachers who pass their children during the school day. While some parents proudly greet their kids with a smile, others try to keep a low profile. In this shared space, where personal and professional lives overlap, families experience a unique blend of challenges, benefits, and everyday moments worth exploring.
“I think there are blurred lines, like, I don’t mind bonking my daughter on the head while walking past her, or sometimes she asks me what’s for dinner during passing period or class, so I would say the line is pretty blurry,” CKHS teacher Chris Kassler said.
When school and home overlap, family dynamics often shift in unexpected ways. Student Gwen Kassler explained how both she and her father are closer than before, now being at the same school. While creating bonds in this environment can be meaningful, it can also come with added expectations or pressure, especially when both roles exist in the same place.
“In the beginning I was worried it would introduce challenges, but as we moved through the school year I believe it brought us closer, and we got to see who each other is during the day,” Gwen Kassler said.
In some cases, students might receive more attention from staff or classmates, which may lead to added pressure within the school environment. Others may not notice a difference, simply seeing their parents move through the school just like anyone else. On the other hand, some teachers find it challenging to teach their own children, as they may need to adjust their perspective to make an effort to maintain fairness in the classroom.
“Sometimes when my daughter is getting chatty with her friends, it’s weird to call her out because I don’t want to embarrass her in front of everyone,” Mr. Kassler said.
While some challenges may exist when having a parent or child at the same school they go to, some students and teachers in this situation can get unexpected advantages. This could include helpful communication for assignments their parents know how to do or having someone they trust to talk to.
“The most helpful thing is the easy communication,” CKHS senior Catherine French said. “I could ask her a question if I need to know right away, or if I forgot to get something signed I could run up to get it signed.”
Some students may get certain advantages like being able to hang out with their parents more throughout the day and having the extra help with certain assignments. If their parents have friends at the school they met before it might help them calm their nerves, having that parent at school can have benefits.
“I get to see my dad more, I didn’t see my dad much before but when I got into high school, I got to see him constantly through the day,” CKHS freshman Charles Chertok said. “Though I definitely get small perks, like I can chill in my father’s office or I can just talk to him, I feel most students don’t have that adult they can talk to at school, but I do, so I would say that’s pretty nice.”
Having a parent at the same school can create unique challenges for students, especially when school and home overlap. Conflicts can arise when issues carry over from home life, such as disagreements about class expectations or grades. In situations like these, students may think of their parents as more of a superior and less like a parent they can lean on. This dynamic can make it harder to separate school and home into different lives.
“I think the most challenging thing is when we don’t agree,” French said. “She’s all the teacher’s perspective, so if I’m complaining about the grade I got, she would give me the reasonable side.”
Sharing a school environment with a parent can shape a student’s relationship and personal growth in unique ways. When students attend the same school where their parents work, their relationships and experiences at school can differ from those of their peers. In some cases, parents may have more direct access to school information, such as grades or behavior reports, these situations may influence how students and parents interact and respond to expectations and routines in the academic environment.
“My parents have access to everything, so they can check my grades whenever they want,” CKHS freshman Cooper Lindberg said. “I would say my experience is a little different because my parents know what’s going on at school compared to some other parents.”
There may be other blurred lines between school and home life, like students and teachers’ normal life compared to academic life. Some teachers are friends with their colleagues, this can introduce new influences into the student’s life. Kassler stated how she knows most of the teachers at school because they knew her from when she was a little kid, and how some may come over to her house. Situations like this may be beneficial to the students and teachers introducing new people like friends and peers, creating new relationships to grow.
“I think the line is blurry, because this is their normal,” CKHS teacher Jessie French said. “They’ve never not had a mom at their high school. So she will see I’m good friends with some of the people I work with, so she will usually see them on the weekend calling them by their first names, but when Monday comes around, she knows to put on the professional hat again, by calling them Mr. and Mrs. so and so.”
At CKHS, the overlap between home and academics creates a new and different environment for students and staff who are also family members and share everyday experiences at the same space. These brief moments of interaction may appear minor, but they open the door for new ideas and perspectives by blending the roles of family in school, allowing both students and staff to see life from each other’s unique point of view.
“It definitely has brought some challenges, especially when she was a bit younger, and she really didn’t want to acknowledge me in the hallway, so that brought some challenges,” Mrs. French said. “Although, It’s really nice to just have my family close to me throughout the day. It’s like getting the perks of being a stay at home mom by seeing them all the time, but still being able to work.”
In this environment, the lines between professional and personal roles can blur, but they can also allow for stronger awareness of each other’s points of views. Teachers see a different side of their children, and students experience school through a lens that includes both classmates and family. While this may present challenges, it can also offer a chance to build closer relationships, giving both roles mutual understanding. As these families continue to move through the shared hallways and share responsibilities, their stories show everyday moments, no matter how brief, can shape the way home and school connect.
