The Smiths: Family Ties — Central Catholic Style!!!

Why the people who know our school best choose it for their own children

Clare Smith - English Teacher
Luke Smith - Senior

Clare Smith has been teaching English at Central Catholic for three years, and her son, Luke, is now a senior.  Clare previously taught at Cardinal Stritch Catholic for 17 years, and before that she taught at St. Patrick of Heatherdowns for five years.  Both Luke and his sister, Lily, have attended school where Clare has worked as a teacher.  Lily graduated from Cardinal Stritch in 2023 and from Bowling Green State University in August.

“I have never found it difficult to draw the line between parent and teacher,” Clare said.  “I also attended a school where my mom worked, so I knew how it was from the student’s perspective.”  

It can sometimes be hard to separate school life from home life when your child goes to the school where you work.  And before Luke started driving himself to school, he had to be on her schedule, which meant that he came to school earlier or stayed later than he would on his own.  But Clare has found many benefits to having her children as her students.  

“I often think about how my own children would approach an assignment or an activity in class,” she explained.  “My children have very different personalities, so considering their different needs is always something that I do because there will be students in my classes that will be like them.  And I am still going to tell my bad jokes even though it might embarrass them!”    

When they came to Central Catholic, both Clare and Luke were making a change to a new school.  “We knew that Central Catholic was a school rich in tradition and that it would offer opportunities for both of us,” she recalled.  “We also wanted to be part of a school that was a strong faith community.  We have found those things at Central Catholic.”

Clare has enjoyed being able to see how Luke’s day is going when they are at school together.  This year, however, he doesn’t have any classes near her third-floor classroom, and his locker is on the first floor, so it’s rare that she sees him throughout the day.  But she considers it preparation for when he is no longer a student at Central Catholic.

It will be a big change for Luke next year because he has never had any experience other than being at a school where his mother teaches.  But Central Catholic has provided opportunities and a welcoming community for both her and Luke, and she is confident that they will both be able to handle what the future brings.

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