Babies in teacherland - Kate Southeland
For most students, the first few days of high school can be intimidating, but for freshman Kate Southerland, it was a walk in the park.
Southerland already had a legacy at Rose, coming in with her dad, mom and grandpa all previously teaching here. While her mom stopped teaching shortly after she was born, her dad continued for years, giving Southerland a feel of how high school worked early on in life.
graphic by Anna porter
“I really got to view what it would look like to be a student, even though I wasn’t one yet,” Southerland said. “I would get to see how [high school] worked.”
While Southerland got the chance to preview high school life, her experience was slightly different. With her dad transferring to D.H. Conley High School after a year of teaching at Rose, she still made countless memories in her dad’s carpentry classroom.
“I remember going to school with my dad on teacher work days and playing in his shop,” Southerland said. “His class would always build barns and sheds for people, and I’d play house on those days.”
Even though her parents didn’t teach at Rose as she got older, their last name lived on, with many people recognizing Southerland because of it.
“Coach Duck recognized me and then Mr. Joyner, because he teaches carpentry,” Southerland said. “Also, Mrs. Hutchinson knew my mom, and Ms. Berry knew my grandpa.”
As a result of her dad transferring to Conley, Southerland was never entirely sure which school she would attend.
“I didn’t always know I would come here because my dad works at Conley,” Southerland said. “I thought maybe I would go there, but now I’m so glad I ended up at Rose.”
Southerland’s parents have greatly affected her viewpoint on teachers, helping her gain a deeper grasp on how they interact with one another.
“Coming into high school, I already knew how the teachers communicated with each other,” Southerland said. “They’re all friends, and everyone knows each other.”
Growing up in a high school environment, Southerland believes that her parents’ jobs greatly strengthened her relationship with them over their time teaching. Along with greatly increasing her positive outlook on starting high school, she grew up hearing her parents talk about the students they taught.
“My dad would always tell me about the students that he has at school,” Southerland said. “I always looked forward to getting to be in high school because of it.”