Kieffer Farber, her sister Faith and their mother Happy pose at an Atlanta Braves baseball game in 2013. Although the three look very similar, they do not act the same and Kieffer is tired of being compared to them.
By KIEFFER FARBER – Staff Writer
Variety writer Kieffer Farber faces constant comparisons to mother and sister.
Every first day of school since 2002, I hear two things from my teachers: “You look just like your mother,” or “I had your sister last year. She was one of my best students.”
It drives me crazy.
But, my senior year is going to be perfect. It’ll somehow be different this time.
My alarm goes off for the first time in two months. I put on the perfect outfit I picked out days before, and I head to breakfast.
I walk into my first class eagerly anticipating the day, but my teacher is just as eager to tell me what I’ve been hearing since kindergarten.
Suddenly, I realize senior year might not be as perfect as I’d hoped.
My mom, Happy, has worked in the Clarke County School District for 23 years and is known and loved by just about everyone.
My sister, Faith, has had straight A’s since kindergarten and is exactly what people expect from a teacher’s child.
I, on the other hand, struggle a lot in some classes. This has always been a big surprise to my teachers.
I make a ridiculous amount of mistakes. I leave important papers at home and have to turn them in late. I realize two minutes before class that I forgot to complete my homework. I constantly talk when I’m not supposed to.
Unlike other students, I don’t get to “start over” each school year. I already have high standards set for me because of my last name. I’m expected to be an exemplary student because teachers have this idea that I’m the same person as my mom and sister.
But here’s the thing: I’m not.
I’m my own person. Eventually my teachers realize that, and they begin to love me for who I am. Just because I get compared to Faith or called Happy, does not mean I have to be like them.
