Have you ever wondered what it is like to go to school with your mom or dad?

Instead of dropping you off at school or kissing you goodbye before you leave for the bus, they walk into school with you and stay there all day long. They know all your teachers and are even close friends with some of them. They are right down the hall if you want to see them or if you need to ask them a question. They might look over your shoulder to make sure you’re doing the right thing or talk to your teachers to see how you are doing in class.

Well, this is precisely the situation for Paint Branch English and Television Production teacher Ms. Leslie Greene and her daughters, Allison and Shannon, who work at and attend Paint Branch.

Ms. Greene has taught at Paint Branch for fourteen years, when her daughters were just starting elementary school. Having come to the school on various occasions over the years, both Shannon and Allison knew what to expect inside the building, but not entirely what it would be like to be the child of a teacher in the school. Regarding the girls’ decision to attend PB, Mrs. Greene says, “It was really their decision, and I have no delusions that it was because they wanted to be near me. They just didn’t want to ride the bus.”

According to Allison, her decision to come to Paint Branch was based on a little more than whether she would have to ride the bus to school or not. “My home school was Springbrook, and I had no desire to go there,” says Allison. “I also had been in Paint Branch since I was younger, so I was used to the atmosphere.”

Shannon, on the other hand, says that she came to Paint Branch because her mother “taught there and, surprisingly, it made things easier” for her. As a senior, Shannon is facing the idea of what it will be like not to have her mother around all the time. “It freaks me out a lot that my mom won’t be right there with me to hold my hand, but that’s not an awful thing because now I can learn to handle things on my own,” she explains. Of course, for the Greene family, just being in the same place all of the time has been an adjustment, but now that Shannon is graduating, it will be yet another adjustment.

Having your mother in the same building might make it hard to separate school and home, but this family finds a way. Ms. Greene elaborates on how she remembers to keep school at school and home at home. “When I get home, I put school aside and we have family time,” she says. “I put on the parent hat, meaning we talk about how school was for them, for me, do you have homework.”

When asked about the disadvantages that come with attending a school where her mom works, Allison says, “There aren’t really any, considering how chill she is. It’s also not difficult because of the type of person I am. I try to be a pretty good student.” Allison also adds, “It makes me feel like I have to stay on track, which keeps me from falling behind on schoolwork.” Shannon feels that there is, at least, one drawback. “My mother knows everything I do. Although it’s not a terrible thing, it is easier for me to get in trouble.”

Shannon thinks her last four years in the same school as her mom has “helped a lot because she’s watched me grow and helped me a lot with my journeys and the ups and downs of high school.” Overall, it seems like going to school with your mom as a teacher in the same school isn’t as bad as it sounds. Of course, you’ll have the normal ups and downs of high school, but having your family in the same building could make th experience more stable.