Mother’s Day is always a special time and for several mothers at Rome City Schools it not only marks a special day but means that another big day is coming closer. For Desiree Jones, a Spanish teacher at Rome High School, and her daughter Natalia, a senior at Rome High, Mother’s Day means that Natalia’s impending graduation from Rome High School continues to edge closer.
For most parents, watching a child walk across the graduation stage marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. For the Jones, that walk comes with a bit more meaning.
Mrs. Jones has spent all of Natalia’s life as her mother and also several years of it as her teacher. From preK to kindergarten, first grade and later high school, the two have shared classrooms, school days and countless moments together.
“She actually has been my student often. I taught her in preK3, preK4, kindergarten and first grade. Then starting freshman year, she has either been Gary’s, my husband’s, student or my student all of her years except middle school,” Mrs. Jones said.
Other than her two years at Rome Middle School, Natalia has been in a school where one of her parents teaches. Her dad, Gary, is the gifted teacher at East Central Elementary.
Natalia said having her parents nearby throughout her school years always felt comforting.
“It’s been really cool, in my opinion,” Natalia said. “I’ve always liked having my parents as teachers. Even when they weren’t my teachers, just knowing they were there was kind of fun sometimes. When something happens, I’ll text her and be like, ‘Oh, did you see that?’ We’re always in the loop together.”
Over the years, the relationship between mother and daughter inside the classroom never really changed.
“Not too much because she still calls me mom, even in front of her friends, which I love,” Mrs. Jones said. “She’s always been a pleasure to teach. It’s just an honor for me to have my daughter in my class.”
As a senior balancing dual enrollment classes through Georgia Highlands, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, and Berry College, along with courses at Rome High School, Natalia has often spent downtime in her mother’s classroom.
“She always has snacks, and I’m like, ‘Can I get a snack?’” Natalia said with a laugh. “I’ll come in and tell her how a test went, or we’ll just talk and stuff like that. It’s always good to have a little support system there instead of having to wait until after school because I like to talk, so we talk a lot.”
Mrs. Jones said those everyday moments are the ones she already knows she will miss.
“She has a lot of in-person classes, but she’s had a few that have been online as well. That’s her little desk back there,” Mrs. Jones said, pointing to the corner of her room where a desk Natalia uses for online classes sits. “I’m definitely going to miss it. I got teary-eyed yesterday looking at her desk and thinking she’s not going to be there.”
While graduation brings excitement for both of them, it also comes with emotions.
“It’s definitely going to be different, but we’re just so happy,” Mrs. Jones said. “She’s going to be at UGA, so we know she’s in a great place, and we’re going to visit. We’re excited for this next chapter for her.”
Natalia, as can be expected of most graduating seniors, said she is more than ready for the next step.
“I’m very excited,” she said. “I feel like eventually I’ll start getting more of the bittersweet part of it, but right now it’s just like, I want to graduate. Once I figured out where I was going to college, it was just like, let me go. I’m very excited.”
Natalia will enter the University of Georgia with enough credits to already be considered a third-year student by hours. Her goal is to complete her undergraduate work and continue on to law school. Last year, Natalia actually graduated with her associates degree thanks to dual enrollment when she was still a high school junior.
“Hopefully I can do one more year of my undergrad and then get into UGA law school. That’s my goal,” Natalia said.
For Mrs. Jones, seeing her daughter reach this point has been rewarding both as a mother and as a teacher.
“It’s just amazing to see everything that she’s been able to accomplish throughout the years,” she said. “I know she’s just going to continue achieving greatness.”
As Mother’s Day approaches and graduation draws near, both mother and daughter say they would not trade the experiences they have shared.
“I feel like maybe some people would not like having their parents at school with them, but I’ve always thought it was the coolest thing ever,” Natalia said. “I loved it.”
Mrs. Jones smiled when she reflected on the years spent teaching her daughter.
“I’ve loved every second of it,” she said. “And I’m going to miss having her here.”