Have you ever imagined what it would be like to have your parents teaching at your school? This is an experience a small group of South students whose parents work somewhere in the building encounter daily. With that comes benefits and difficulties of having their parents in such close proximity to them during the school day, senior Jacob Gregerman said.
Although students may have parents working at South, the school does not allow students to have their parents as teachers, Gregerman said. Despite not having class together, Jacob still manages to see his dad, Dan Gregerman, Grit Lab Coordinator, at school two to three times each day, whether in the halls, or in his dad’s SRT. This experience is one benefit of working at South that Gregerman, Benjamin Widner, Social Studies Teacher, and Charlotte Tryfonopoulos, Instructional Assistant in the Dean’s Office, all have in common.
“Even though it [is] a big building, [me and my dad are] in the same space [and] I think that is the best part,” Jacob said.
The close proximity could add pressure and even a feeling of a lack of privacy for students’ teachers, Widner said. Widner works hard to make sure his son, sophomore Jake Widner, feels comfortable being himself at school, without constant supervision.
“I feel like he realized he [has] my respect [and] I [will] let him operate on his own, so in that way [our relationship] has strengthened,” Widner said. “He developed that trust and saw that it allowed him to be his own person in school.”
Parents need to establish trust to allow their students to function independently, especially when being a teacher and parent are intertwined, Gregerman said.
“[Our situation] has built a lot of trust in confidentiality between me and Jacob,” Gregerman said. “He knows he can trust what he says to me [knowing] that I [am] being a parent [in] that moment and [I will not] go [tell another] teacher.”
Having a parent that works at South can also impact your decision making, Jacob said. He keeps in mind his dad’s connection to the school when it comes to his behavior as a South student.
“I have to think about my actions in the school because they reflect onto [my dad] as a father and a teacher,” Jacob said.
Both Jacob and junior Amalia Tryfonopoulos find it convenient to have their parents on staff. Having a child so connected to South makes it easier for parents to understand and advocate for them, Jacob said.
“If I need someone to advocate for me or check on something, he is a great resource because he is connected with [South],” Jacob said.
Widner believes having a child as a student at South is convenient because he gets to see a part of their child’s life not all parents have the opportunity to do.
He finds it easier to be present in his son’s life, particularly with him and his sons’ involvement in sports.
“I could go from [my] baseball practice and walk into the gym and watch him play [a] volleyball game,” Widner said. “If we were in different places that [would] be really hard to do.”
Tryfonopoulos agrees and is grateful she gets to connect with her daughter’s life through South.
“[It is] a privilege to get a glimpse of her life here at school.”
Amalia appreciates that her mom can easily relate to the situations she faces at school, since they can discuss the clubs that they are both involved in or student life.
“It has made us closer because she knows what [is happening] at school,” Amalia said. “She can relate [to me] more because she is [working] with teenagers every day.”
Each staff member and student agreed their parent-child relationship improved during their overlapping time at South. Jacob acknowledged that his relationship with his dad has changed, but for the better.
“[We have] grown closer not only as son and dad, but also as friends,” Jacob said. “As I get older I see him more as a friend than a father at some points, which I like because it [is] a different kind of relationship.”
