My mom works at my school.
Funny enough, I don’t always remember she’s even here, our schedules barely overlap, but knowing she’s just down the hall in her office has always made me feel safe. She tells me one of her favorite parts of her job is being able to see me during the day, even in passing. We like to joke that we’ve been going to school together since I was born, because technically… we have. She had me while she was in high school, so in a way, classrooms and textbooks have always been part of our story. Some people might look down on her for that, but honestly she’s the most incredible woman I know; one day, I’ll have to write a full piece just about her. For now though It’s enough to say: “we’re still classmates in our own way.” She’s just on the staff side, and I’m on the student side.
Apparently, we’re not the only parent-kid duo making the school halls a family thing.
Take Brynn Castle and her dad, Ryan Castle, the principal. Talk about the ultimate “bring your parent to school day,” except hers never leaves.
When I sat down with Brynn, I asked the obvious first, “what’s it like to have your dad running the entire building,” she laughed.
The pro – “if I need to talk to him about something or need help with an assignment, I can just stop by.” The con – “I cannot get in trouble. Like, absolutely cannot. I feel like I’m constantly being watched.”
And watched she is. Teachers may not always realize she’s the principal’s daughter at first, but once they do, she notices a slight shift. It starts with the extra politeness, an extra smile; still, Brynn says it’s nothing she can’t handle. She’s not the type to stir up drama, especially as she admits, “You don’t want to embarrass your dad.”
The weight of expectations can creep in. “Sometimes it’s in the back of my head, like, I can’t get involved in this or that; I wouldn’t call it a burden, if anything, it’s made us closer.”
That closeness is something Brynn appreciates even more as she heads into her senior year. “Next year I’ll be in college, so having him here right now is comforting. I get to see him more often than I would otherwise.”
Of course, not every moment is serious. When I asked if her dad had ever embarrassed her at school, Brynn grinned and shook her head, then immediately followed it with:
“Okay, he doesn’t yell my name across the hall or anything. But if I trip, or something funny happens, he tells everyone. Like, all the administrators know before the end of the day.”
Principal Castle: loving father, head of school, and apparently…full-time town crier!
Her friends don’t seem to mind either. In fact, they’ve fully embraced his role, even raiding his office for candy on the regular. The inside joke? They call her a “nepo baby,” though it’s all in good fun.
And when asked if she could swap roles for a day, Brynn had her plan ready:
“I’d call him out of class just for fun. Like, make him walk down the hall in front of everyone. He’s never done it to me, but I think it would be hilarious.”
But her final answer surprised me most. When I asked if she had a “secret” about what it’s like being the principal’s daughter, something he’d only find out by reading, she paused. Then she said quietly:
“I think the only secret is that I’m actually going to miss having him as my principal. I haven’t really told him that.”
For all the jokes, the candy raids, and the occasional hallway gossip, it’s clear that being a parent-student duo at school isn’t just about convenience; it’s about connection. Whether it’s my mom and me navigating the same hallways, or Brynn and her dad leading from opposite sides of the classroom door, these duos remind us that school isn’t just about grades and tests. It’s about the people who show up for you. Sometimes literally, in the next room over.
And maybe that’s the real lesson here: while most kids can’t wait to leave school at the end of the day, those of us with parents in the building get a reminder that education isn’t separate from family, it’s an extension of it.