Family Matters

CB students with parents who are teachers open up about their unique high school experience.

High school can usually be defined in three words: homework, extracurriculars, and friends. But for the lucky sons and daughters of Christian Brothers’ teachers, high school includes parents.

As I am the child of a CB staff member myself, I decided to gather other perspectives of students who share my situation. Since the start of my sophomore year, my dad has been employed as a softball coach for Christian Brothers.

His employment was exciting, as he has always loved to coach high school softball, and it also marked the start of bonding time with him and unexpected encounters in the hallways during school days. Overall, my dad’s work at CB has brought us closer together and been a memorable part of my high school experience.

As it turns out, other students share similar feelings about having parents who work at Christian Brothers.

CB student Ciara Wanket (’14), was “really glad” to hear as a sophomore that her mom, Ms. Maureen Wanket would be teaching literature at her school.

“I knew that CB had been her dream job,” she explained, “I was happy for her.”

Ms. Wanket could not have been happier herself to join the CB staff, due in part to her Lasallian upbringing and also to her daughter’s support.

“I’ve always loved Christian Brothers High School,” said the gracious new literature teacher. “Coming here was like coming home.”

The comforting atmosphere at CB for Ms. Wanket was also a result of her daughter’s full support and encouragement.

“I’m grateful to her because she just made room for me,” Ms. Wanket said of her daughter. “She welcomed me without even a single qualm.”

Throughout the past two years, Ciara has enjoyed having a family member on campus. Ms. Wanket’s position has resulted in not only quality time for the two, but convenience.

“Carpooling to school with her means that I’m always at school on time and sometimes she has lunch money for me, which is nice.”

Having her mom work at CB has been easy for the senior as she’s noticed that “people are really cool” about the situation.

“No one treats me any differently,” she says, “which may in part be due to the fact that I was at CB for two years before my mom was…people knew me before I was a teacher’s daughter”.

The transition to CB for Mary Zannetti (’14), whose father has taught religion at her high school for over 20 years, was easier because “he knew how [the school] worked” and could help her navigate the hallways and shift in the daily schedule.

One of her favorite parts of the experience have been that the two have more in common as a result of their time together at CB.

“We have more to talk about and relate to” she explains, and she has the opportunity to “see him in a different light” as a teacher.

The relationships between CB students and their parents who work at the school are truly unique. While the situation may seem awkward at first, the students and teachers have come to realize the benefits of being a part of such an amazing community.

Not only do the circumstances enhance the perspectives of both students and teachers, they provide lasting memories and reaffirm the family values that comprise the very foundation of the school the place they call home.