It’s not unusual for them to wake each other up, talk about school, and bring homework home.
But what is unusual, is that for the Norman brothers, two of them are experiencing this as students. Two of them are experiencing it as teachers.
The Normans have been a part of CG for a long time. Adam Norman is a former school board member and a ‘90 CG alumni. Amy Meadows Norman, CG Class of ‘90, is the Health Services Coordinator for the school district. All four of their sons have come through Center Grove.
Jackson was first. He graduated in the Class of ‘19, went to IU Bloomington and came to teach Biology at the high school in ‘23.
Eli came next. He graduated in Class of ‘21 and came back to teach History this year.
Now, Deacon is a senior, and Bodie is a junior. There are advantages for all four of them.
“My brother and I, who teach, have been able to discuss stuff a lot more. It makes collaboration, especially since we have similar students and we both teach freshman classes, a lot easier,” Eli said.
“If [my brothers] need anything, I’m available, whether that’s a place to put their things, somewhere to take a break, or someone to talk to. For my brother who’s a first year teacher, I help if he needs advice or wants to talk something through. It’s really about being available and open whenever they need support.”Jackson said.
Eli said he preferred history and English classes, while Jackson liked science and math.
“We’re all interested in different things. The other two are much more musically inclined than Eli or me,”Jackson said.
Deacon said many of his teachers also taught his older brothers when they were in school.
“Since my brothers work in the school too, the teachers can just call them whenever. It feels different,” Deacon said.
Bodie said he likes seeing his older brothers at school.
“The best part is that they’re close to home, and so I can actually see them a lot more than when they were in college,” Bodie said.
Deacon agreed–they see a lot more of each other.
“It’s kind of weird because I see them at school and then I see them at home, so I see them all the time. But it’s also kind of cool because I know I have people I can rely on no matter what,” Deacon said.
Deacon said there are other advantages.
“The best part is never being late for school, because they always get up early, so I always know when it’s time to get up. The hardest part is on stressful days when I just want some alone time I still end up seeing them everywhere. But overall, it’s good,” Deacon said. “We always show up for each other and help each other with whatever we’re going through. My brother who teaches biology helped me last year with my AP Bio homework. Eli teaches world history and government, but he was an econ major, so he helps me with econ work too. And I help him with things from a student’s perspective. It’s really just supporting each other however we can.”
Bodie is in Early College, like one of his brothers before him.
“I’d say they helped me a lot with new teachers because Eli did early college. So he tells me a lot, and what I need to know about classes,” Bodie said.
While the student brothers see advantages in having their brothers available to guide them, the teacher brothers have an adult perspective.
“They work really hard. They participate in a lot of extracurriculars, and they’re constantly busy, but they still stay on top of everything. No one has to remind them to do their work. They’re very responsible, and it’s great seeing them grow as students,” Jackson said.
“It’s nice to provide a place for my brothers if they ever need something. They’re harder working than I was, and very smart” Eli said.
It might seem unusual to us.
But for the Norman brothers, school means family.
