My name is Finn Todd, a Beijing City International School (BCIS) graduate of 2018, and I grew up in a school at which both my parents taught, one an art teacher, one a primary school principal. I went to the same school for 13 years, with both my parents at the school throughout that whole time.
My experience was mixed, although mostly positive for a number of reasons. First of all, the obvious one — seeing your parents every day at the place when most folks are free of that was an odd feeling. Knowing that whatever I did could be reported to them at any point simply because the other teachers were their friends. I never really got into much trouble at school, so I never had too many awkward interactions, but knowing that other teachers knew so much about my private life compared to other kids was definitely a strange experience. However, this meant I spent a lot of time around teachers from an early age, meaning I grew up having to be good at small talk and develop the skills to have more grown-up relationships, even to the point where I am now (as a graduate) good friends with a few staff members, some of whom even taught me!
Finn with mom, dad, and sister on graduation day
I would seldom directly be in contact with my parents throughout the school day, as one was not a teacher and one only taught me for a total of just under a year and a half, meaning I didn’t really have to worry about any awkward encounters of any sort. When I was taught by my father, the age old question kicked in — do I call him Dad, or by his surname? I just settled for an “err… so”, and then would say what I needed; problem solved.
Another factor was that they also knew of all school events, which was in fact a blessing in disguise, reminding me of where I needed to be and when, as well as signing any form that needed signing before I even knew it existed. They’d also show up to my sports games and musical performances, something that unfortunately a lot of kids wouldn’t have been able to say at that age. They were very supportive and involved in the community, which meant I was as well.
When I got into high school, the most daunting situation for any high schooler arrived — dating. With the lines blurred between personal and school life due to my teachers basically being an extension of my parents, I couldn’t get away with anything without them finding out. Because of the strong school-wide grapevine, I just decided to approach that topic head on, and thankfully my parents have always been good and open with me, so it turned out not to be too much of an issue, so long as I didn’t muck about in class!
My unique situation meant that my friends knew my parents well too, and even students that I didn’t particularly know too well would talk about my father with me (in an extremely positive light, don’t worry Dad). At times it felt like I was the Vito Corleone to their Michael; if you’re my mate then you’re in that world, you have to face the same non-existent personal-school divide as I do.
My parents would do their best not to bring work home with them too, but we did have a rule; what’s said at the dinner table stays at the dinner table. It was their chance to vent about work and obviously some of those times it would concern people I knew, either teachers or students, but I knew we were coming from different points of view and most of the time I knew a fraction of what they knew about whatever drama was occurring that day. They were always very professional, and to be fair to me, so was I; I wouldn’t bring up things I shouldn’t with the people that I shouldn’t, even if I knew more about certain situations than either my classmates or my teachers.
Overall, while I may occasionally have come into contact with awkward or unwanted situations, my experience as a teacher’s child in school was overwhelmingly positive, and that’s completely down to the way they raised me and my siblings.: being heavily involved in the community, meeting far more people than most students, and developing social skills that have helped me immensely.
Photos: Finn Todd
