While most people get an escape from their parents at school, I don’t. While it might seem a little weird at first glance, my father is the superintendent of the school I attend. Contrary to popular belief, my life at school remains very similar to the average high school student. There are some differences that I experience, however; my life is very comparable to my classmates.
Even though it might seem like a disaster to some, my dad being the superintendent doesn’t change my high school experience very much. We try and create separate boundaries that help our life at school be different from life at home. These boundaries benefit our relationship. Sometimes, it’s inevitable that these cross. Even though sometimes the paths cross, it never puts a dent in my family or our relationship. As a result of my dad’s role in the school district, my family also holds specific standards and values. There are standards for how I act both at school and in public. Some people believe our behavior can be seen as a reflection of my dad and his character. There are expectations to show respect and kindness to others in all situations. My family holds these values very strongly and passionately.
One fun aspect of my dad working at the school I attend is being able to see him in the hallways. I enjoy getting the chance to see him around the building once in a while. My favorite part about my dad being the superintendent is the people I’ve gotten to meet early on in my life. Since I’ve gotten to meet people in the school sooner in my life than most, I’ve been able to form relationships early on. I have known the principals and administrators at the high school my whole life, so that has helped create a good connection. I’ve also become very familiar with some of the teachers long before I’ve ever had them in class. I enjoy this because I think it’s cool to have the ability to form relationships that many students don’t get the chance to. I love that I am given the opportunity to build a bigger relationship with people. I’ve known Mr. Griebel and Mr. Lohmann since I was very young, and I feel like that’s something special, especially since I am now a high schooler and in the buildings they work in. I get this opportunity to make a bigger connection to the school and the teachers. Even though I’ve gotten more of a chance to build these relationships, I still feel like I am treated equally. I am given the same treatment that any other student receives from teachers regardless of my father’s role in the building.
Although I do enjoy getting to go to the school where my dad is the superintendent, there are just a couple of downfalls. Sometimes, I feel like I experience weird attention from people. For example, some people will ask me to tell my dad to cancel school for a snow day. Sometimes people even message me to ask if school is called off. I also feel a little bit of pressure in school because sometimes I think people are looking at me a little bit more. This could just be me thinking this in my head, but I feel like I do have more attention drawn to me. More specifically on the way I act or perform in school, I feel like teachers look at me more. Another downfall is that there are some busy parts of the year where I don’t get to see my dad as much as I would like. With the recent bond issue and the new school, it took up a lot of his time. There would be times when he wasn’t home very much and was put under a lot of pressure or stress.
I can say in all honesty that even though my dad is the superintendent, my life at school is not very different from an average teenager. Of course, there are ups and downs, but it’s nothing I am not able to handle.
And let’s be honest, there are ups and downs in all aspects of life.
