Imagine every school event you’ve ever gone to: school dances, basketball games, parties, assemblies, even in the classroom. Now picture your dad being at every one of them. If you can imagine this, you can imagine my entire life since the second grade.

In second grade, I moved to Meeteetse, WY, from Bakersfield, CA, because my dad had been offered the principal’s job at the Meeteetse Schools. As we lived there longer, he then became the superintendent. When I was a sophomore in high school, he applied for and was offered a job as the superintendent of schools in Powell.

Being the superintendent’s kid comes with ups and downs. This will hopefully enlighten you on the prides and pitfalls of having your father as an administrator.

CONS:

1.       As previously mentioned, about half of the school dances that I’ve been to, my father has been the chaperone. And let me tell you, there is nothing more awkward than trying to slow dance with a boy while your dad is standing there staring at you the ENTIRE TIME. Sometimes he even took pictures (no, I’m not kidding).
2.       It is assumed I receive special treatment by teachers and staff. In my experience, I have never had a teacher raise my grade or tolerate bad behavior for me or my siblings because of who my dad is. That’s like assuming the president’s daughters are no longer subjected to the law. That’s just not how this works.
3.       Related to No. 2, people also assume I earn my athletic positions and awards solely because of who my father is. My first year at Powell High School, I made the volleyball team, and naturally a rumor was circulated the only reason I made the team is because my dad was the new superintendent. As I said before, this is in no way true at all. I have never gotten something in my athletic career that I have not worked for; that is not how my parents raised me.
4.       BECAUSE I am the superintendent’s daughter and people do assume I get special treatment, I have had to spend my whole life proving I am deserving of the things I earn. I have had to work hard to prove I am smart and whatever I’ve accomplished and will accomplish is because of my work ethic.
5.       Being the superintendent’s daughter also means that your dad always knows when you get in trouble at school or even if you have a missing assignment in the class because the teachers tell him EVERYTHING. When I was in elementary school, I had a slight incident with one of my classmates that ended up with me sitting in my father’s office waiting for a punishment. The thing about this is that I don’t just get in trouble at school, I also get in trouble at home. Let’s just say I never got in trouble after that.  

PROS:

1.       I am a very forgetful person; there have been many times I have left a book, an assignment and several times, my basketball shoes, at the school. But when your dad is the superintendent, he has keys to the entire school kingdom, so you just have to bat your eyes and say “pretty please” and he will take you to the school to collect whatever item you forgot that day.
2.        Once again, having access to the schools facilities such as the weight room and the gym is a definite perk of your dad being an administrator. The same can be said for the kids of teachers and coaches. I have been able to get in extra training and workouts while on school breaks because of my father’s access to the facilities. I get to spend extra time getting swole without having to pay to use the rec center or get a membership at a gym.
3.       With my dad being the superintendent and my mother being a teacher/counselor, academics have always been a main priority in our household; this has held me to a high standard in my academics and pushed me to be better. And the fact that both of my parents are educators means they are very good at helping with homework.
4.       Because my parents are so actively involved in the school, I always know when there are activities or events happening because my dad always likes to be there. If there’s a play, I know about it. If there’s a board meeting, I hear about it. I am always informed about the events going on in the community and it makes it look like I am an informed citizen when I generally am not.
5.       I can be brutally honest with my dad about my perspective on being a student in our schools. Having student input on certain issues can be paramount to success in a school system, but sometimes it is difficult to get feedback from students about these issues. Obviously he can’t base important decisions solely on my input and opinions, but I still like to help.(Sometimes he doesn’t even need my input and I still talk his ear off about it)

NO matter the pros and the cons of being the superintendent’s daughter, I wouldn’t trade it for the world because I get to have the world’s best dad who supports me in everything I do. Because to me, he’s not “Mr. Superintendent Curtis” (As my friends like to call him), he’s just my dad.

And I love him.