Teaching is a family affair

For one Columbia Falls family, the hallways and classrooms of School District 6 have become like a second home.

Glacier Gateway first-grade teacher Jodi Casazza has spent the majority of her life at one School District 6 campus or another. From her days hanging out with her mom, Marilyn Washburn, at Glacier Gateway or admittedly avoiding her dad, former shop teacher Mick Washburn, in the hallways of the high school, Cassaza has made a lot of memories in the schools of Columbia Falls.

“Sometimes we would see my dad coming down the hallway and we would make a beeline to get away from him. I definitely didn’t want to get caught holding hands with a boy or anything,” Casazza said. “Actually, it was a wonderful experience. It taught me a lot about respect. We still run into people that had my parents as teachers and they will always have great stories and memories. Not only were they great parents, but they made a difference in the lives of so many other kids, too.”

Casazza’s mother spent 28 years as a paraeducator at Glacier Gateway, working mostly with second grade students, while her father was the industrial arts teacher at the high school during the same time span.

When it came time for Casazza to pick her profession, she said the choice was obvious.

“It’s something that I wanted to do for as long as I can remember. I knew I was going to be a teacher and my parents both had a big influence on that decision,” she said.

Now in her 24th year of teaching, Casazza has spent time teaching at the Canyon Elementary School in Hungry Horse and Ruder and Glacier Gateway schools in Columbia Falls.

So far, Jodi, Mick and Marilyn have combined for 82 years of teaching at Columbia Falls schools, but the family connection to the district does not end there. For the last two years, Casazza’s daughter, Cami Harwood, has been a kindergarten teacher at Ruder Elementary (after spending four years as a substitute teacher while in college), carrying on the family tradition.

“There was the family connection to teaching, but I also had some great teachers along the way that also helped inspire me to also go into teaching,” Harwood said. “I love seeing the kids come in the morning smiles and happy faces knowing that they have a safe place to be.”

Legally blind and dyslexic, Harwood also credits the teachers that went the extra mile to help her in school with inspiring her to become an educator.

Already known for having her students dress up in costumes for special occasions, Harwood had already hosted a “Grinch” day this school year and is looking forward to having her students dress up as 100-year-olds for the 100th day of school.

“I like to make things so much fun that they don’t even realize they are learning,” she said.

Harwood admits that having a teacher as a parent can have its drawbacks, but there are many more benefits.

“You definitely don’t get away with anything. My mom would always know if I was in trouble before I even stepped foot in her classroom, but I loved it,” she said. “I thought it was fun to get to spend so much time with my mom.”

While Casazza and Harwood currently work on different campuses, they do hope to work together in the same school before Casazza retires, in what she says will be the far future.

As for now, both say they are right where they want to be.

“I love when kids finally get and understand something, but my favorite thing is knowing that I make a difference. Sometimes I have kids run up and hug me on a Friday and tell me they are going to miss me over the weekend. It’s those moments that make it worth it,” Casazza said. “When you love what you do and you love coming to work every day, it really is the greatest feeling in the world.”