Siblings reunite as co-workers in the classroom

For students, going to school or even sharing a class with a sibling is a common occurrence, but for teachers, it’s nearly unheard of. However, in room 913, this sibling dynamic unfolds every school day.

Once school was back in session after fall break, Lubna Nona, sister of math teacher Nour Nona, joined BVH’s English department.

Throughout the day, L. Nona switches between two classrooms: 914 and 913, which she shares with her brother.

“I think it was kind of a goal at one point or another to be at the same school. The competition [between us and our] grades when were younger was healthy. We [have] similar things we want to do in life, working together helps us accomplish that,” N. Nona said.  

Nona heard about the job opening from N. Nona, and she applied for the position and shortly after the school contacted her.

“I ended up taking four different classes from four different teachers,” L. Nona said. “Taking over in the middle of the semester is a little challenging. The students were used to their previous teachers and most of them really love the teachers they had. Then, they had to adjust to a new teacher, a new structure and new rules, so it was difficult, but it’s getting better.”

Prior to their teaching careers, both L. Nona and N. Nona attended BVH as students together for two years, with L. Nona two years older than her brother. Due to this age gap, they did not see each other often around campus.

“I didn’t see him around often but even when we saw each other or ran into each other, there weren’t any issues,” L. Nona said.

Even before working together, both siblings explained that they have been close from a young age and throughout high school.

“We were super competitive with our grades, but we never fought growing up,” N. Nona said.

Since N. Nona and L. Nona spend most of the day in the same classroom, the opportunity for interaction has increased since their time as students.

“Today I forgot to bring my lunch, so he brought it for me,” L. Nona said. “That was nice.”

Ultimately, sharing room 913 has allowed the siblings to become closer both physically and figuratively.

“Us two? We’re the same person inside a classroom. We’re exactly the same person,” N. Nona said. “We’re both sarcastic, we both like things done our way and we’re both very organized.”