The Only Time You Can Call Your Teacher “Dad”

Most kids just bring their backpacks, books, and occasionally vapes to our school (don’t do this).  But what if you had to bring a family member with you?  No, I’m not talking about your siblings; I’m talking about parents that are also teachers.

“I never had to ride the bus, even when I couldn’t drive because I would just ride with my dad,” said senior Jacob Goldinger.

Goldinger says it isn’t weird at all that his dad, who teaches history and civil and criminal law, is in the same building as him, even when he reached eleventh grade and had him as a teacher.

“I always wondered what he was like in the classroom as opposed to at home,” Goldinger said.

If Goldinger ever sees his dad in the hallways, a casual conversation usually ensues.

“We say hey and just keep going.  Every once and awhile he will ask me what I want for dinner when I see him,” he said.  “He’s actually really cool about it; he has never tried to constantly be around me and has always given me space.”

Mrs. West, 10th grade English teacher, hasn’t had to teach any of her three boys in the classroom…yet.  But, she still crosses paths with familiar faces in the hallways.

“Most of my kids’ friends are in eighth and ninth grade still, so I haven’t had them, but when I see them in the halls, I make a point to say hello,” she said.  “Occasionally, I will be asked by my kids to give bonus points to a class because someone has asked them to ask me.”

My mom is a school counselor at Deer Lakes, and when I went there, I remember excusing myself to go to the bathroom just to get a paper signed or something of that sort.

Sophomore Morgan Frishkorn, whose dad is a math teacher here, does the same thing.

“If I forget to print something the night before it’s due, I just go to his room and print it,” she said.

Mr. Brumbaugh, biology teacher and club advisor, has two girls; one who has graduated, and one who is a freshman this year.

“I can steal food out of his room and can pop in to ask for anything I might need, like forks, vice grips, or a signature,” said freshman Kaylynn Brumbaugh.  “It’s easy to handle after school activities because I have a parent/ride right there.”

In addition to the perks, there are of course cons of having a parent come to high school with you.

“I’ve mainly had people approach me and tell me that they enjoy his class and that he tells cool stories,” said Goldinger. “If people are roasting him, I’d feel weird, but since I’ve never heard that, I think it’s cool that kids like him.”

And we all know students like to trash talk teachers or classes, especially when frustrated.

“The one time that I did hear kids talk about him, they were complaining that they had to go to his class,” said Goldinger.  “I really was just confused when I heard this because if I am able to live with my dad for 18 years and not complain, people should be able to handle him for 40 minutes a day.”

But it’s not just teacher-parent family reunions that occur daily here at Knoch.  Spanish teacher Señora Davies has a daughter that goes here, too–and she teaches 11th grade English.

Mrs. Morrison, who first attained a degree in psychology, never expected to work alongside her giver of birth as a teacher, even though her family is all in the education field.  Her dad taught English at Freeport, and her brother and sister teach history and English at Leechburg.

“We are a very close family and so it is awesome to see my mother every day in school,” said Mrs. Morrison.  “She has a positive energy about her that is contagious to all that enter her classroom.”

Mrs. Morrison says her mother takes care of her when she is sick at school, and helps her be a better teacher.

“She offers her own vast knowledge on education and teaching to me,” said Morrison.  “She can sympathize/empathize with some of the challenges of being a teacher. She helps me problem solve and look at life’s events with perspective.

Señora is so popular with her students, Morrison says sometimes she has to wait in line to talk to her.

“She is loved so much by her students that it is really hard for me to get to see her,” she said.

All of this is especially true for Adison Trofimuk who’s dad is–well, you guessed it–the principal.  He says he gets asked the same old questions such as:

“‘Do you know all the wifi passwords?’”

“No.  Just because my dad works here, I don’t get better internet.”

Hey dad…I mean, uhh… Mr. Dad.

Being the principal’s son can be great, but it can also be quite frustrating.  Here’s a little peek into the life of Adison Trofimuk.

What is it like seeing your dad in the hallways?

“When I see my dad in the hallways I treat him like he’s any other person who works here.  I kindly say hello and go on with my day.  At school I see my dad as a principal, not my dad.”

How do you feel when you hear other students talking in the hallway about your dad?

“I don’t really care when people do.  I know that sounds cold, but they can have their own opinions of him, and I can respect that because I have my own too.”

Do you think that people treat you differently because your mom/dad is the principal?  Why or why not?

“Yes, people definitely treat me differently; not only my peers, it’s my teachers too.  I probably get this question on a weekly basis, “if you get in trouble can your dad get you out of it?”

Of course not!  If anything, I would get punished more, and most teachers treat me differently too.  They’re always breathing down the back of my neck, like they are waiting for me to do something wrong to go run and tell my dad.”

What are the perks of your parent being the principal?

“There are not many, but there are still some.  My one favorite perk is being able to go down and something to eat or just to get help from him on homework or something.”

What are the cons?

“One of the biggest cons is that for example, I do badly on a test.  The next time my dad talks to him or her (the teacher) they tell him about it, like they take pride on telling him his son did bad on a test.  He really doesn’t want to hear that, him and I are trying to live our lives like everyone else.”

Do you have anything else to add?

“The one thing that really upsets me is that people think that I can do whatever I want and think I’m better than them.  Just because my dad works here.  I don’t think or feel that way at all.  I just want to come to school and have a normal day for once.  No questions, not people thinking that I think I’m better than them.  All I want is just a normal day for once.”