‘Mom… I mean Ms…’
Typically, students spend the first two months of school getting to know their teachers’ personalities and particular teaching styles.
However, some WHS students have known one of their teachers for years. The reason is simple—they live together at home. The WHS community is full of parent-child relationships involving students and teachers, which can be a tricky dynamic to navigate.
For example, senior Alex Fonseca had his mother, Ms. Maria Garcia, as his Spanish teacher last year. He said that although it was awkward at first, he soon got used to seeing his mom in the classroom.
Despite this, he admitted that Garcia probably treated him differently in class. “Since it was an AP class and it was really hard, she had to stay on top of me,” Fonseca said. “I think she was harder on me sometimes than the other kids.”
Senior Maddy Davis was in this Spanish class last year, and she described the experience as “hilarious.” She reported that the two would often joke around with each other, but she never felt as though Fonseca received any special treatment.
“If anything, [Garcia] was tougher on him, but she mostly treated him like everyone else,” she said. “Having them both in the class made it so entertaining. They’re an awesome duo.”
Garcia said that she does have occasional concerns about her son’s reliance on her in school. She reported, for example, that sometimes he forgets his lunch money at home and goes to her to ask for some. She said, “This is a problem because when he’s in college next year he won’t have me there to ask for money. He’ll have to do things like that on his own.”
Garcia is not the only WHS teacher who experiences this sort of parent-child social dynamic at work. English teacher Ms. Kimberly Gosen-Fowler and her daughter, sophomore Ana Fowler, have had to make adjustments as well.
In fact, Gosen-Fowler reported that she requests certain classes each year to ensure that she doesn’t have to teach her daughter, or any of Ana’s friends. “That’s a purposeful choice because I don’t want her to be in a position that’s awkward for her, where I’m teaching 50 people who she happens to be friends with,” she said.
Gosen-Fowler added that although it can be tricky to continuously change her classes in order to avoid teaching her daughter’s friends, it’s helpful for her because it allows Ana to feel more comfortable. With her twins also coming to WHS next year as freshmen, this is a process that Gosen-Fowler will continue going forward.
“I feel bad that she makes sacrifices for me like that,” Ana said. “But it’s a lot better than her having my friends as students. Whenever they would come to my house it would just be awkward if she’d be telling them to do their homework and stuff.”
Ana also said that she couldn’t imagine having her mother as a teacher. “I think I would probably not try as hard because I’d assume she’d let me get away with some stuff,” she said. “I feel like that would just be my impulse because she’s my mom and I’m so used to her.”
However, having a parent as a teacher is unavoidable for some WHS students. For instance, Mr. Warren Hynes is the only Journalism I teacher this year, and he’s also sophomore Katie Hynes’ father. So when Katie decided to take the class, it was inevitable that he would be her teacher.
Katie reported that it’s difficult for her and her father to transition between their father-daughter and teacher-student relationships. “Sometimes I just need him to be a dad, and he’s more of a teacher,” said Katie. “He wants me to call him by his first name [in class]because he doesn’t want me to call him ‘Dad.’ So that’s kind of weird.”
Katie said that this doesn’t affect her classwork, but she gets uncomfortable when her friends talk about having her dad as a teacher. “Kids will text me and ask me to talk to him about questions they have,” she said. “I always say no because that’s their teacher and they should just be emailing him like they would with anyone else.”
Spanish teacher Ms. Liliana Pabon-Correa is the mother of two WHS graduates, Sara (‘17) and Santi Correa (‘16), and she described the experience of teaching alongside her children as her “new normal.”
“My kids expressed to me that they felt no sense of discomfort,” she said. “It was something we all had to get used to, and after some time it just became normal for us.”
For example, senior Alex Fonseca had his mother, Ms. Maria Garcia, as his Spanish teacher last year. He said that although it was awkward at first, he soon got used to seeing his mom in the classroom.
Despite this, he admitted that Garcia probably treated him differently in class. “Since it was an AP class and it was really hard, she had to stay on top of me,” Fonseca said. “I think she was harder on me sometimes than the other kids.”
Senior Maddy Davis was in this Spanish class last year, and she described the experience as “hilarious.” She reported that the two would often joke around with each other, but she never felt as though Fonseca received any special treatment.
“If anything, [Garcia] was tougher on him, but she mostly treated him like everyone else,” she said. “Having them both in the class made it so entertaining. They’re an awesome duo.”
Garcia said that she does have occasional concerns about her son’s reliance on her in school. She reported, for example, that sometimes he forgets his lunch money at home and goes to her to ask for some. She said, “This is a problem because when he’s in college next year he won’t have me there to ask for money. He’ll have to do things like that on his own.”
Garcia is not the only WHS teacher who experiences this sort of parent-child social dynamic at work. English teacher Ms. Kimberly Gosen-Fowler and her daughter, sophomore Ana Fowler, have had to make adjustments as well.
In fact, Gosen-Fowler reported that she requests certain classes each year to ensure that she doesn’t have to teach her daughter, or any of Ana’s friends. “That’s a purposeful choice because I don’t want her to be in a position that’s awkward for her, where I’m teaching 50 people who she happens to be friends with,” she said.
Gosen-Fowler added that although it can be tricky to continuously change her classes in order to avoid teaching her daughter’s friends, it’s helpful for her because it allows Ana to feel more comfortable. With her twins also coming to WHS next year as freshmen, this is a process that Gosen-Fowler will continue going forward.
“I feel bad that she makes sacrifices for me like that,” Ana said. “But it’s a lot better than her having my friends as students. Whenever they would come to my house it would just be awkward if she’d be telling them to do their homework and stuff.”
Ana also said that she couldn’t imagine having her mother as a teacher. “I think I would probably not try as hard because I’d assume she’d let me get away with some stuff,” she said. “I feel like that would just be my impulse because she’s my mom and I’m so used to her.”
However, having a parent as a teacher is unavoidable for some WHS students. For instance, Mr. Warren Hynes is the only Journalism I teacher this year, and he’s also sophomore Katie Hynes’ father. So when Katie decided to take the class, it was inevitable that he would be her teacher.
Katie reported that it’s difficult for her and her father to transition between their father-daughter and teacher-student relationships. “Sometimes I just need him to be a dad, and he’s more of a teacher,” said Katie. “He wants me to call him by his first name [in class]because he doesn’t want me to call him ‘Dad.’ So that’s kind of weird.”
Katie said that this doesn’t affect her classwork, but she gets uncomfortable when her friends talk about having her dad as a teacher. “Kids will text me and ask me to talk to him about questions they have,” she said. “I always say no because that’s their teacher and they should just be emailing him like they would with anyone else.”
Spanish teacher Ms. Liliana Pabon-Correa is the mother of two WHS graduates, Sara (‘17) and Santi Correa (‘16), and she described the experience of teaching alongside her children as her “new normal.”
“My kids expressed to me that they felt no sense of discomfort,” she said. “It was something we all had to get used to, and after some time it just became normal for us.”