Just like the Padgett’s and Hartley’s who are couples that work at Shadow, the Bedingfield’s and Chanes are both couples that happen to work together as well. These two pairs work well together and enjoy having each other so close during the day.
The Chanes hadn’t planned on working together in the same school, but it just all came together. Mr. Chanes had been working at Shadow as a football coach, and when Covid hit, Mrs. Chanes wanted to be on the same schedule as her kids, mostly because her son was just starting kindergarten.
“I became a sub at Shadow first and loved it, so I went to school to work as a regular teacher,” Mrs. Chanes explains.
Mrs. Chanes currently teaches English Resource, 11th through 12th grade, and her husband works upstairs in the Dean’s office. Although the Chanes like being able to be at the same school, they rarely see each other while working. Mr. Chanes starts at six and finishes at three, while his wife starts at 5:45 and ends at 1:56. Mrs. Chanes is also the head coach for Varsity Cheerleading at Shadow Ridge, and has put a lot of time and effort into that sport.
Mr. Chanes enjoys their similar schedules for many different reasons. One is being able to have the whole summer off, which is very nice. The other reason is the assistance Mr. Chanes is able to give since he’s so close to his wife.
“I like being in the same area and vicinity because then I am nearby to help if needed,” Mr. Chanes comments.
With the Bedingfield’s it’s a similar story. The husband, Mr. Bedingfield, applied for Shadow first, and after getting hired asked if his wife could also come teach in the Special Programs department, and then she got hired as well. Working together is a huge benefit because it saves on transportation, gas, and money.
Mr. Bedingfield teaches AP Psychology and Dual Enrollment Sociology as his main subjects. Mrs. Bedingfield teaches a couple subjects as well, which are math, social studies, and she is a special education teacher(which is actually the biggest department at Shadow). Together, they don’t see many drawbacks or difficulties with their jobs.
“There’s not much of a downside,” Mr. Bedingfield comments. “It’s pretty great because we support each other both ways.”
Mrs. Bedingfield also agrees with her husband and has some of her own things that she enjoys most about working at the same school.
“It is such a fun way to start and end each work day going to Shadow with my best friend,” Mrs. Bedingfield says. “Some days we even get to share our lunch break together.”
After work, some of the Bedingfield’s favorite activities to do is get in the pool after a long day, enjoy the mountain views, or hang out with their dog Hydro.
