Throughout this school year, several teachers have had children, and this spring, three teachers will have joined them in this experience. Ms. Radice, a physics teacher; Mr. Florio, performing arts and orchestra teacher; and Mr. Lum Lung, a college counselor.

WP: How do you think your life will be different?

Radice: Much busier. I am having twins, so that’s going to make life very interesting, and I think that trying to figure out how to take care of two babies at the same time is going to be a challenge, but a fun one.

WP: So far, what has been the most memorable or exciting experience?

Radice: The whole process is very exciting. Just realizing that there is a living being inside your body and feel the move and kick and see them in ultrasound. It is like a giant science experiment, so I find that fascinating as a scientist.

WP: Later on, how do you plan to balance between work at school and the kids?

Radice: I am going to be taking next semester off, so I am going to come back in January. I think it is going to be a learning experience for me. It was the same kind of thing when our son was born five years ago; I took a whole year off that year. It was easier because he went to daycare right when I came back, but still, as any parent knows, trying to juggle those two things [work and personal life] takes some effort, and you just have to set your priorities and realize that you can’t do everything. Adults have to do the same things [as students]; they have to set priorities and learn how to manage time.

WP: How has life been different since you found out that your wife is expecting?

Florio: First of all, whenever anyone has children, they obviously become the center of their lives, despite however much we work or put into our jobs, but it is also the thing you are working for, so it is really important to me. Harker is always going to be an important part of my extended family, especially the students I teach. My students have all been really excited too, and they are looking forward to meeting my son and getting to know him. It will become the center of my world and what I am thinking about.

WP: What has been your most memorable experience through this whole process?

Florio: The best experience was first telling people that we were expecting, like when we told my parents and the rest of my family, and obviously telling the students here. I was really excited because there was a buzz the whole day; they were so excited and screaming and just made me feel really great. They are excited to meet him as well, so it’s a really cool thing. And then obviously telling my friends and colleagues; I am really good friends with Mr. Lum Lung, and our wives are friends, so to know that they are expecting right after us is really cool, because we know we can go through it together.

WP: How do you plan to balance your work at school and what you will do at home?

Florio: I have been married for sever al years, so that’s been nice. And we both work at Harker; my wife teaches kindergarten, so we are both going through the same thing to adjust. But we have so many friends that have kids here and work here and we can always model off them, and I think there will be adjustments that need to be made. Ultimately, we love both things. We love our family, we love where we work, so we are going to make it all work together.

WP: How does it feel to finally be a dad now?

Florio: It’s great! I’m learning more and more every day, although at this stage it’s more about supporting my wife right now.

WP: How has your life been different so far?

Florio: As expected, lack of sleep has been different.  We’re up half the night feeding and changing him, but we knew that would be the case.  The good news is he’s sleeping more than the average 2-week old, so that’s a great sign for future sleep!

WP: What has been the most exciting experience so far after your son was born?

Florio: The most exciting experience so far was the moment he was born. He came out and of course started crying as they laid him on my wife’s chest. There’s something about hearing your child’s cry and seeing him for the first time that gave me an overwhelming emotional rush that I have never experienced before and will never forget.

WP: What are your biggest fears of parenthood?

Lum Lung: I just want to live up to being the father that my father was, and my fear would be not living up to that.

WP: What steps are you currently taking to prepare for the baby?

Lum Lung: We are setting up the baby’s room now. We just moved into a new house so we’re getting ready to paint the baby’s room, and we just put up the stroller last night.

WP: What are you looking forward to the most?

Lum Lung: There are a lot of things I’m looking forward to, but I’m really excited to just be with her and watch my wife with her. I can’t wait for all of us to just be together.

WP: Do you consider yourself well prepared for the pregnancy?

Lum Lung: I don’t think we could ever fully prepare for it, but it’s getting to be really fun. We’re at the part where the baby’s started kicking and I get to put my hand on [my wife’s] stomach and feel my daughter kicking. She’s had a great pregnancy so far but we can’t believe that we’re getting closer and closer to that day.

WP: How are you preparing for the big day?

Lum Lung: We’re signed up for some of our birthing classes in May, and my brother and sister have kids, so I think they’ll be a great resource. A lot of my friends also have children and I think they’ll be a great resource, too. I guess a lot of it will be backed my instinct and we’ll have to see how we’re doing. We were just talking about it last night, though, because the moment we get in that car and head home from the hospital, the freak-out-meter will probably hit an all time high, and while we’re not ready for that, we’re certainly aware of that. Definitely going to be on the lookout somewhere for an instruction manual on how to raise a kid.

WP: How do you plan to balance work life and parenthood?

Lum Lung: We know that’s going to be one of the big challenges we’re going to face so we’re just going to keep open lines of communication, and take it a day at a time, but we know that’s not going to be easy. I think one of the great parts about working here is the balance of work and life that we have outside, as opposed to other places that I’ve worked where i’ve had very little time off.

WP: What kind of father do you think you’ll be?

Lum Lung: I hope to be that supportive, but laid-back dad. I think a lot of parents want to strike that perfect balance, and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to do that. I don’t want to lose sight of, while being a father, also being a husband in an attempt to pull it all off. If I use my parents as role models, though it’s a different time, how they raised us is great preparation for this.

This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on May 16, 2014.