Rebecca and Elaine J-K

For senior Elaine Jansing-Kaestner, school is an extension of her life at home. Elaine’s mom is science teacher Rebecca Jansing-Kaestner. “It’s funny because JC is like our second home, so what you hear in here is just like at home,” Elaine said.

According to Rebecca, having a daughter at JC has pros and cons. “It gets me more nervous because you feel like people are judging you and your kids. It’s also nice when [your kids] are getting in trouble and other teachers help out.”

As for Elaine, she is comfortable with her mom teaching at her school. “It’s a normal school day. You just get to annoy your mom more,” Elaine said.

Rebecca currently teaches Elaine. “I have her for chemistry and she has to deal with me every day. This is the first time I had her as a teacher,” Elaine said.

According to Elaine, there are both burdens and benefits to having a mom as a teacher. “You always have to do your homework, [but] sometimes you get hints about quizzes. She is also my own personal homework checker,” Elaine said.

Elaine sometimes spends time with her mom on off mods. They interact during school when they are apart, too. “Elaine Skypes me during class sometimes and it’s kind of annoying,” Rebecca said.

Although there are annoyances with a mother-daughter relationship in school, Rebecca has had a good experience with Elaine. “Elaine has done well here with me.  [She] does what she needs to do,” Rebecca said.

Stephanie Meadowcroft is a Lifestyles Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Bob and Martha Schick

Junior Martha Schick is incredibly involved in school activities, which may seem like the result of having a teacher for a parent.  However, social studies teacher Bob Schick lets his daughter work her own way through school life.

So far, Bob has never had Martha as a student, but because Martha and her father are active in many school groups, they were bound to end up together. “Martha has been in numerous clubs I’ve moderated, like Academic Team, Film Club, and Speech and Debate,” Bob said.

Martha is the co-captain of Speech and Debate, but it was the choice of the other members. “I was actually treating her to a disadvantage being a moderator, but the other members overrode me,” Bob said.

According to Bob, Martha is a good student. However, she has run into students who don’t do as well in school and have her dad for a teacher. “My personal favorite is when his students tell me to get my dad to not fail them. I promise, if somebody asks me that, I will tell my dad to fail you at all costs,” Martha said.

Both Bob and Martha get happiness and amusement out of their experiences at JC.

“There are students who will tell me stories about him and ask if I knew that before. Seeing as I’ve lived with him for 17 years, the answer is probably yes,” Martha said.

“A lot of parents and kids don’t have good relationships but we do. She’s our only child and we get along really well,” Bob said.

Martha agrees. “All in all, I love going to the school where my dad teaches,” Martha said.

Stephanie Meadowcroft is a Lifestyles Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

James and Shannon Fendryk

Though they are 14 years apart, siblings social studies teacher James Fendryk and freshman Shannon Fendryk have a great relationship.

“Going to school with my brother is just like any regular day spent with him. I love spending time with my brother,” Shannon said.

“It’s really fun actually. Even though we live close, I don’t get to see [her] as often as I’d like to. My sister and I have always been very close, even though we are not very close in age,” James said.

James may have the chance to teach his sister in the future. “I have not had my sister as a student yet because I no longer teach at the freshmen level. I currently teach Government to sophomores and U.S. History to juniors, so maybe in the near future,” James said.

Shannon enjoys certain benefits of having a teacher for a brother. “I get free rides in the morning, almost every teacher is nice to me, and if I need some extra money, he always lends it to me,” Shannon said.

Having a sibling who works at JC can also have its down sides. “I am pushed harder because he is always on my back about getting good grades,” Shannon said.

Overall, Shannon and James have enjoyed being at JC together. “I really enjoy the fact that my sister is here and that I get to see her every day,” James said.

Ashley Beyer is a Lifestyles Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.