Saxony Lutheran High School student enjoys having mom at school every day

For most high school students, being summoned to the assistant principal's office in the first week of school might be bad news.

But when the call came for senior Annie Adams to report to the office, she wasn't in trouble. In fact, she was laughing and so was the assistant principal, who also happens to be her mother, Missy Adams.

Annie was teasing her mother saying, "She just can't be away from me." She said for the last 13 years, since her first day of kindergarten, her mom has worked "just down the hall".

"I mean, there's nothing bad to say about it," Annie joked. "She just keeps following me every time I move schools."

Missy has been an educator in Cape Girardeau schools since before her children were born. She was a teacher at Nell Holcomb Elementary School, a principal at Trinity Lutheran School and now the assistant principal at Saxony Lutheran High School.

Over the years, Missy said, it just made sense for her children to go to the same school where she worked. However, Annie insisted she had chosen to attend Saxony Lutheran before her mom decided to work there.

"So that time you followed me," Annie said.

Missy laughed and shot back, "She would have cried had I not been here."

Annie said having her mother work at her school meant she's had to grow a thick skin. She said some of her fellow students would imply favoritism.

"They say, 'You get that because you're the principal's kid' or 'Your mom's a teacher here,'" Annie said.

But mother and daughter contend that has never been the case. Missy said she made a rule early on that when they pass through the doors of the school she's no longer "Mom", she's "Mrs. Adams".

"Some of my co-teachers thought I was mean, but other kids can't walk down the hall and go ask mom questions," Missy said. "I'm glad that we did that early because my kids know they're not getting any special treatment just because their mom's in the building."

Annie said she's never gotten in enough trouble to be sent to "Mrs. Adams" office.

"Because she and her brother both knew if I had to discipline them in school, it was gonna be worse than home," Missy said. "But I can honestly say I've been blessed with two really great kids who are pretty much rule followers."

Missy said she knows how fortunate she's been.

"Most parents don't get the opportunity to see what their kids are doing at school, seeing them interact with other people and what they're doing socially." Missy said. "I've gotten to see that whole process of her growing up and maturing. I mean, what parents get to do that?"

So far, Missy has only been Annie's teacher once. The class was called "Teaching as a Profession", and Annie took it because, for many years, she thought she was going follow in her mom's footsteps and be a teacher.

"I would line up all my stuffed animals and give them some leftover school supplies and pretend I was their teacher," Annie said.

But last year, she changed her mind and decided she wanted to go into the medical field. Annie said she wants to enroll in a radiology technician program.

That decision put an end to the family's running joke that Missy would follow Annie into college.

"It's a career goal of mine to teach at the college level," Missy said. "But I think she could still end up in the classroom someday and, who knows, we might end up at the same school again."

Annie agreed that could happen and, if so, "it would be nice." She said she has never minded having her mom working at her school.

"Just to stop and have a quick conversation with your mom or even just like say 'hi' throughout the day, it's just been nice to have that."