With only one high school in Powell River, parents in the teaching profession are likely to have a son or daughter as a student at some point.
When a parent is your teacher it is not easy to keep that fact a secret in a small community. In fact, it is nearly impossible.
Brooks Secondary School student Stephen Anderson, 16, was able to do just that though, right up until the end of last year. Stephen’s father, Gerry, was his grade 10 math teacher and no one knew, except a few close friends.
“I was trying to keep it a secret because I wanted him to do his job without having to worry about the comments that are going to come from other kids and directed at me,” said Stephen. “I just tried to let him do his job and let me learn.”
Stephen said he was happy to have his dad as a teacher because he was one of the stronger math teachers available for grade 10 students.
“I understood his way of teaching, so after hearing I was going to have him, it was kind of a relief, because I knew I’d understand the stuff he was teaching better,” he said.
Grade nine student Will Rice, 15, was also happy to learn he would be in a science class taught by his father, Tony.
“I had wanted him to be my science teacher from when I was young,” said Will. “It was halfway through the year when I found out he was going to switch with our previous science teacher, so I was looking forward to it.”
When it came to his dad being his teacher, Will said classmates sometimes gave him a hard time, thinking Tony would go easier on his son. According to Tony, he likes to think he is consistent in how he treats Will and other students, but in actual fact, that is not quite true.
“You almost overcompensate,” said Tony. “I’m way harder on Will than I am on any of my other students.”
It comes down to having a different relationship between father and son at school, because Tony knows Will better than he knows every other student. Not only has he taught Will in class, he also coaches him in junior boys’ soccer.
It’s a balance, said Tony, to keep home and school separate.
“It’s always at the front of your mind,” he said. “You don’t want to put him, other students or yourself in a bad spot, so you have to be conscious. I’d be mortified if I ever said anything about Will to other students or teachers that he didn’t want people to know.”
Gerry said he is exactly the same way. He tries to be balanced in the classroom toward all students, but maybe 10 per cent harder on Stephen because of perception.
“I did not want the other kids to think I was playing favourites,” he said. “I was tougher on him, but he was definitely up for the challenge.”
Stephen said he was glad for that because it encouraged him to have his act together, achieve the grades he wanted and be a better student.
“I know his class definitely made me work harder,” he said. “It gave me a better work ethic for math, especially going into precalculus for this year. Being in his class really helped, I just focused on the work.”
According to his father, having Stephen in class has made him a better teacher.
“It validates certain things, but the challenge for me was whether or not I could be objective with him,” said Gerry. “I believe I have succeeded.”
As for Will, he also said having his dad as his teacher has made him a better student, because having the pressure is a good thing.
“The more different experiences you get the more well-rounded you can be, and you can adapt to different situations better that way,” said Will. “From the students’ perspective, you can see the teacher’s perspective differently as well.”
