As first semester comes to a close, some teachers have more than grading midterms on their mind. Three faculty members are preparing to become parents.
IB coordinator and history teacher Matthew Axelrod welcomed baby Adam Atticus Axelrod into his family on Jan. 16. He weighed 6 lbs and 4 ounces.
“We chose Atticus as his middle name because I love both To Kill a Mockingbird and alliteration,” Axlerod said.
Axlerod also has a two year old daughter named Natalie.
English teacher Julie Curtin and History teacher Kevin Curtin are preparing to become first-time parents. Their baby boy is due on March 15th.
While they have not picked a name for the new child, Julie Curtin said that “all of [their] students have very strong opinions about what the name should be.”
According to Julie Curtin, some students have suggested their own names, while others have jokingly given suggestions such as “Shower Curtin.”
There are many struggles that pregnant teachers face. According to Julie Curtin, she struggled with morning sickness during the beginning of the school year, as she was in her first trimester.
“I didn’t want to take any days off, because I wanted to save those for when the baby is here,” Julie Curtin said. “I just tried to power through it.”
Julie Curtin will be taking three weeks off when the baby arrives. As a federal employee, she is granted sick leave but will not be paid during her absence.
“I think the United States should have more comparable maternity leave as the rest of the modern world,” Julie Curtin said.
Social Studies and Economics teacher Sandra Dougherty is seven months pregnant and due in mid-April. She is looking forward to having a baby boy.
She did not have to tell her students about the pregnancy. According to Dougherty, “they actually figured it out.”
“I was about four months pregnant when they not-so-subtly implied that they knew,” she said.
When asked about the struggles that pregnant teachers face, Dougherty replied, “the biggest [issue] is only having one lunch period. At this stage, I think I could have three or four time periods dedicated to eating.”
“Everyone at Marshall has been super supportive and wonderful so that makes everything a lot easier,” Dougherty said.