Walking through the halls of a school, one may see students meeting up in the hallways talking, laughing, and sharing different parts of their day. One thing students have noted makes Howell High School special is that, in walking through our halls, one will see teachers doing the same thing.
While students often focus on their own friendships at Howell High School, the teacher community is arguably just as vibrant. Teachers across departments note building strong bonds through passing-time conversations, shared lunches, and time spent together outside of school. Often mirroring the friend groups students build, these connections have been noted to contribute to a more supportive environment.
“It’s like a big family sitting down to dinner, and we talk and share good and bad things every single day. It’s a really cool bonding environment, and we can commiserate over bad students, or we can talk about things we did that worked well or didn’t work well. I’ve worked at a few other school districts, and they don’t have this kind of camaraderie in other places,” physics teacher Mr. John Garlinghouse said.
The science department, which is located in the same two hallways, eats lunch together every day. In doing so, they create a sort of community they deem unparalleled by other school districts. However, they are not the only teachers at Howell High School who have made best friendships with other teachers during lunches. On the contrary, lunch seems to be a common theme that pulls teachers together into tight-knit communities.
“I feel like one of the best ways to grow closer to people is to share meals, and we had an entire Thanksgiving feast among all of us. This happens a lot. We’ve had a hot dog maker in our lunch room, and we’re doing a Chill Christmas party where we all bring cold Christmas dishes. This way, I don’t have to pack a lunch, and I’m also physically sharing food with others, which inherently makes you closer,” English teacher Mrs. Michaela King said.
Lunch isn’t the only way that friendships are formed among teachers, though; classroom proximity is another way these bonds are formed. The closer the teacher’s classrooms are, the more they are able to gather during the ten-minute passing time.
“Sometimes I knock on Ms. Wheeler’s wall, because we’re room buddies. We pretend like we know what Morse code is and say I love you,” social studies teacher Ms. Brooke Christians said.
The passing period is another time that teachers will gather to talk about their days. Outside of classrooms, and at the end of hallways, is where students can discover their teachers, in groups, laughing and joking.
“Me and Simon, generally during every single passing time, one of us will work our way towards the other’s room. We’re always disappointed if one of us has to help a kid during passing time, because then we can’t talk to each other,” math teacher Mr. Jeffrey Klapper said.
Teachers have noted that their friendships with other teachers have grown much past work relationships, as they have begun to interact outside of school, both digitally and in person.
“With the teachers in the hall and the lunchroom, we have a group text that, for me, is almost like a Facebook outlet. I don’t have social media that I post to, so if I were to have something to post about, about my kids or something else, I would send it to the group text,” Mr. Klapper said.
Halloween parties, friendsgivings, and Christmas parties are all planned get-togethers that give teachers a channel to grow closer outside of school, but more unexpected meetings also develop these relationships.
“I became friends with Ms. Christians, and I called her when I broke my arm, and she took me to the hospital in her pajamas. And that was the start of something special,” English teacher Ms. Kylie Wheeler said.
This time has proven to be beneficial for teachers’ mental health and may counteract the stressors of the school year.
“A lot of teachers struggle with burnout and stress, so I think that the group we have is like a saving grace. The lunchtime where you’re able to kind of just hand out, laugh, sometimes vent, but more so just hang out with good people who reenergize you. Even though I don’t typically struggle with stress, it does reenergize me, and I just love being a part of this environment,” Mr. Klapper said.
Strong relationships among teachers can also be advantageous for building student-instructor relationships.
“Showing the students that we’re friends, and them knowing we have relationships among the teachers, helps students see that we are people beyond the classroom. I think it helps build teacher-student relationships because they see that teachers have friends too,” Mrs. King said.
Ultimately, the inside jokes, group chats, holiday parties, and hallway conversations all point to the same thing: teachers who genuinely enjoy being a part of each other’s lives. Their friendships, as countless teachers have claimed, make the hard days easier, good days even better, and the school’s support system stronger. These connections are a reminder that the people at Howell aren’t merely students and staff, but humans who enjoy the company of their friends.