Being Both Teacher and Parent

As Detroit Prep adds years under its belt, it also continues to add to an unofficial group of us who work at the same school our own children attend. I believe I was the first member!  My oldest daughter - who at the end of this school year will be in our first class of graduating 8th graders - has attended DP since its first year, my younger daughter started kindergarten at DP two years later, and I joined DP staff two years after that when we moved into the new building four years ago.  Since then, some of our staff (including both our principal and founder) have enrolled their own children as they became school-aged, and other parents of students have also climbed on board as staff.  I now count 11 of us, and anticipate the number will only continue to grow as our families do!  

This is something special that I have not encountered in the same way elsewhere.  It demonstrates that staff believes so strongly in DP’s vision that we desire for our own children to be educated in this way, and that parent professionals witnessing the environment in which their children are learning are drawn in themselves.  What results is a staff community that truly understands the value and meaning of family and is constantly working to better its practices, as well as an overall presence of genuine love in the building.  It is a beautiful thing to get to witness the small moments throughout the day: the quick hugs and check-ins in the halls, the secret side-eyes and whispered I loves yous, children helping their parents set up bulletin boards or staple packets, parents watching their children in class with pride and amusement, children cringing and rolling their eyes at their uncool parents or requesting to be ignored when parents are in their classes.  (The last couple examples might only be from my own now teenager.)  It is just one more reason why I genuinely love Detroit Prep!