I think that the majority of people would agree that they would be less than excited to have their parents in multiple sectors of their lives. And I think more so than not, teenagers can agree that having their parental figures in more areas than just their home is not ideal. I however, do not agree with these hypothetical statistics. 

I’m graduating in June of 2022. My mom has worked at my high school for all four years of my high school career, and I have loved every moment of it—for the most part, but my mother and I are not the only parent-student duo at Salem. There are at least five parent-student duos and though not all replied to my request for comments, I think the ones that did reply volumes to why it benefits to go to the same school as your mom works at. 

Questions for parents: 

1: What is the best part of having your child or children at Salem?

Lacy Krell:

 “Best would be being able to do the extra volunteer mom stuff, personal connections with their phenomenal teachers, seeing them every day, shared stories, knowing their friends, etc.”

Alisha Zimba: 

“I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work where Sara goes to high school. It makes me so proud when teachers stop me to say how awesome she is! It’s also nice to know the students she makes friends with and know that they are good people and she’s making safe choices. Ultimately though, I just love being with her and treasure every moment I get to see her smiling face or hug her in the hallway. 

Brian Meechan:

“I like that I get to see my kid more.  Most people don’t have the luxury of extra time with the people they care about.  Also it’s nice (to a degree) to be a little more connected to her teachers and her experience.”

2. What is your least favorite or the most inconvenient part of having your child or children at the place you work at?

Lacy Krell: 

“Oh um the worst is the home and drama spillover, even when we try to leave it at home, and they eat all my food.”

Alisha Zimba: 

“I think the worst part might be for her rather than for me. There was no bad aspect of her attending school with me as far as I’m concerned. She might not always love that I know things she doesn’t want me to, haha. I guess one difficult aspect would be knowing things that I can’t share with her. Sometimes I have to let her live and learn for herself and that’s not easy.”

Brian Meechan:  

“I am very conscious of still having my daughter grow up and achieve/gain her own independence.  So I try to limit my interactions with her as a parent within the school day.  Rides to and from school are open (though she’s not very talkative in the morning!) but between 7:10 and 4:30 (end of track practice) I try to let her be a student and me be a teacher.  There is no ‘parenting’ in those hours.”

3. How do you hope you’ve influenced your child’s high school career the most? 

Lacy Krell:

 “Oof, that question made me weepy.  I hope that I have allowed them to see the bigger picture, a look at the effort that goes in behind the scenes of any event, class, program, school, etc. And I hope that encourages them to always look for solutions and ways to make things better.”

Alisha Zimba: 

“She brings me joy and makes me so proud. I’ve loved watching her grow and mature and try new things and it’s been so amazing to watch it all happen at Salem. I think she’s liked having me here too, at least I hope so! It’s possible that going to school with her mom influenced some of her social decisions and helped with academic motivation, but I hope it’s been a comfort to her and that she has loved it as much as I have. We have such a great relationship. Hugs at work from my daughter have been EVERYTHING.”

Brian Meechan:  

“Same as with any other student, I hope that she sees me as a resource to be used when needed to help navigate what can sometimes be a difficult, confusing, and rewarding experience (high school).”

Questions for students:

1. What’s the best part of having your parent here?

Liam Krell: 

“I would say that definitely the best part is having that sort of safe space to, for lack of a better term, retreat to if any situation is uncomfortable or unknown.”

Sara Zimba: 

“I have absolutely loved having my mom here. Even if I had an attitude or something, it is so comforting to know that she’s always here. I love the relationships she’s able to make with my friends, I love seeing her in the hallway randomly; it’s just so nice to have the security blanket.”

Xander Krell: 

“Having a real connection to Salem. I get to have a home away from home at my school, which is very nice.”

2. What is the worst part of having your parent here?

Liam krell: 

“The worst part is that sometimes it’s a little bit awkward and embarrassing, however in more recent years those situations are few and far between.”

Sara Zimba: 

“Um, when I was an underclassman and I’d have crushes or whatever, I would get so embarrassed. She just knows everything about everything before I even tell her. But as I got older that became comforting rather than annoying.”

Xander Krell: 

“It is so much harder to separate home and school life.”

3. How has their presence influenced your high school career the most?

Liam Krell: 

 “Her influence has mainly affected my participation in after school activities such as forensics and robotics which in turn, enabled me to join other clubs and just overall participate in more.”

Sara Zimba:

 “I think the way she changed me the most was just that there was always another layer of accountability. Because she did know everything about everything I knew who I hung out with, and what I did would get back to her no matter what, so it adds some level of integrity.”