Bridgeport mother and daughter are a class act
Duo work together at Housatonic's Early Childhood Education Program
By Amanda Cuda,
Staff writer, CT Post
Updated: 05/09/2009 11:59:05 PM EDT
BRIDGEPORT -- Monsie Feliciano and Marlene Guzman sat a few yards apart,
on opposite sides of a classroom in Housatonic Community College's
Early Childhood Laboratory School.
That morning, the classroom was buzzing with activity: young children
played dress-up, listened to stories, and engaged in any number of
activities. From their opposite ends of the room, Feliciano and Guzman
supervised completely different tasks. Feliciano sat at a table, helping
a group of kids learn the finer points of watercolors, watching as
they painted their colorful creations. Guzman, meanwhile, buzzed throughout
the classroom, mainly watching over the children playing on the classroom's
computers, but also tending to a few boo-boos suffered on the school's
playground. Both women seemed completely absorbed in their separate
tasks, so focused on the children that they barely acknowledged each
other. In fact, if it weren't for the physical resemblance between
them, you might have no idea that Feliciano and Guzman are mother and
daughter.
Feliciano, 45, is an assistant teacher in the lab school, and has worked
there since 1995. Guzman, 26, is a student in Housatonic's education
program, and has been off and on since 2004. They both work in the
lab school, a fully-functional preschool that's part of HCC's Early
Childhood Education Program, and have done so for roughly a year.
It's an arrangement they both love, even if it was a little difficult
for their young students to grasp initially. "At first, the kids didn't get the concept," Feliciano
said. "They were like 'You're a teacher. How can you be a mommy?'"
Once the children -- who refer to the women as Miss Monsie and Miss
Marlene -- got used to the idea of a mom and daughter occupying their
classroom, they tried to use the situation to their advantage, threatening
to tattle whenever Guzman did something they didn't like. "They say 'I'm going to tell your mom," Guzman
said.
Despite the kids' best efforts, Feliciano and Guzman said there's little
tension in their working relationship. "We get along great together," Feliciano
said.
Feliciano first started working in the lab school as part of a work-study
program while she was a student at Housatonic. She stayed on at the
laboratory school even after earning her associate's degree in early
childhood education from Housatonic. She first took a job as a part-time
education assistant at the school, then moved up to assistant teacher.
Feliciano said she loves working with children, though she finds her
students to be a bit more challenging than her own children (Guzman
has a younger brother).
"They're definitely a lot more active," Feliciano said. "Our
room is always so, so busy."
Still, she loves the relationships she builds with her young charges. "My
favorite part is seeing the kids smile and getting hugs," Feliciano said. "The
kids get attached to us, and we get attached to them."
It was through her mother that Guzman first became interested in teaching.
While growing up, she used to visit her mom at the school frequently
and was impressed by what she saw. "I loved seeing her work with the kids," Guzman
said.
Eventually, she joined Housatonic's program and began working at the
laboratory school. The children who attend the school range in age
from three to five, and can be there anywhere from a few hours to all
day.
There are two classrooms and Guzman and Feliciano don't always work
together. But even when she and her mom don't share class space, Guzman
still derives inspiration from her mother. "When I'm in a tough situation with the kids, I always
think 'What would my mother do?'" Guzman said.
The woman also live together, in Bridgeport, along with Guzman's husband.
But, like their working relationship, Feliciano and Guzman said their
home relationship is fairly tension-free. It also provides a lot of
opportunities for them to debrief about their days at school. "We share experiences and talk about the kids," Feliciano
said.
Laboratory school director Heidi Szobota said she isn't aware of another
mother-daughter team that has worked at the school at the same time,
but she's impressed with the dedication both women bring to the job.
She has known them for a long time, and remembers when Guzman was just
12 years old, visiting her mom at the school. "She's
kind of grown up here," Szobota said.
She said the mother and daughter work well together, and are able to
treat each other as peers. "When they're in the classroom, they identify themselves
as teachers," Szobota said. "Their personalities make this
work."
The pair might not be working together much longer. Next fall, Guzman
will transfer to Southern Connecticut State University to pursue a
degree in elementary education. Once that's complete, Guzman isn't
sure what she'll do. In the meantime, she's enjoying working with her
mom, and teaching the kids at lab school. "I love
it here," she said.
Anson C. Smith, Public Relations Coordinator
Housatonic Community College
900 Lafayette Blvd.
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Tel: 203-332-5229, Fax: 203-332-5247
E-mail: asmith@hcc.commnet.edu