Most people think of their workplace as a way to get away from their family or spouse. Though a couple of the lucky ones get the pleasure of sharing both a home and a workplace with their loved ones. Here in Stamford High, we have our own share of relatives and spouses who have to work together. Why, you might ask, would anyone want to do something like this?  We thought we would go straight to the source(s) themselves and ask: what’s it like working with a close family member?

First, we talked to Stamford High’s favorite married couple – physical education teachers Stephen Buckett and Melissa Giordano/Buckett. So what are the pros and cons of working with your spouse? “We have the same vacations and can drive to school together,” says Buckett. “We can also eat lunch together which is nice,” explains Giordano. Even though they work in the same department though, they note that they don’t see each other that often. With how immense Stamford High is, it makes sense that they don’t run into each other all the time. In the end, though, they both agree that it is nice knowing that you always have someone to talk to when you need it.

Next up was physics teacher Saleh Jahangir and his wife, a substitute in the school. It just so happens that right before I talked to him, his wife brought him a warm cup of coffee from Dunkin Donuts. “It’s great working with my wife, as you can see from the coffee,” says Jahangir. He agrees with the Bucketts though and explains that he doesn’t get to see her that much throughout the day because of her need in several different classrooms throughout the day. “She stops by my room though when she has the time and it is nice knowing she’s around.” Perhaps working with your spouse isn’t as bad as we initially thought it was.

Last up, we spoke to none other than the father-son duo, Lawrence and Eric Keller. Prior to this year, Lawrence Keller was the assistant principal at AITE, so this was their first time together at Stamford High. However, it wasn’t their first time working together though, as Eric Keller started his career at AITE. “Eric first asked me if it was okay to work at AITE and then last year we switched and I was asking him if it was okay to work at SHS,” says Lawrence. Being that Eric is a science teacher and Lawrence is a technology teacher, they don’t cross paths that often. “We absolutely share a couple of students though,” explains Eric. Overall, they have to agree that working together isn’t as complicated as some may predict.

The idea of working in the same building as your spouse/relative may be offsetting at first. From what I gathered, though, maybe we should be jumping on the chance to work with our loved ones.