Could I teach at the same school as my own children?

As a teacher on school holidays I’m not thinking too much about school in 2026.

That can still wait a few more weeks since I’m not preparing any new content to deliver over the year ahead of me (at least not yet anyway!).

But, my mind has wandered to teaching my children.

Often, I’ll pass on little tidbits about my classes and, sometimes, they say that they’d enjoy having a teacher like me.

For example, I mentioned over dinner today a fun distraction tip for my eldest to make her English teacher’s head spin (the question you should pose is “Why is the sound that a dog makes different in a lot of languages? Shouldn’t they be all the same because they are describing the same sound?”).

But, it raises a good question… Could I teach in the same school as my kids?

Of course, unless I decide, it won’t happen.

The only realistic scenarios which would land me in that situation would be if I successfully applied for a job at their high school or they transferred into a school I was already working at.

And, outside of these, I’m not it a rural or specialist setting where it would be impossible to not teach my offspring.

Nonetheless, I pretty sure I wouldn’t benefit from the situation.

For, I admit, I’m weak.

As great as others may be able to handle sharing the same school as their kids, I don’t think it would do me (never mind my kids) any good.

I’d be too protective.

I’d be too nosy.

I’d be… if the situation warranted it… too harsh.

Despite any overriding sense of professionalism, my desire to parent would be too easily triggered.

Father would trump teacher.

Of course, I’d like to think that I’d be able to easily mark an essay from my child impartially, but the personal interactions of my child would be something which I’d have trouble containing.

If she was bullied, I’d want to go all protective Papa-bear.

If she was a bully, I’d be crushed.

If she was rude to a teacher, I’d be personally offended.

If she did a stupid-teen-action, which most teens inevitability do, I’d be overwhelmingly apologetic.

Have a mentioned that I’m a weird, popular, but oddball teacher? It may be better that parts of the student body don’t share my surname.

So, these - along with a bunch of other reasons that I’m probably unaware of - shouldn’t result in me sharing a workplace with one of my offspring.