Courtesy of Sara Bannon

Dully and Siddqi pose together during one of their usual lunch hangouts.

Wait, teachers don’t spend their whole day grading our papers and guarding their phone caddies? They have personal lives, too? Shocker, I know.

World Geography and Ethnic Studies teacher Bismah Siddiqi and Ceramics, AP 2D Art, AP 3D Art and AP Drawing teacher Nikki Rodriguez-Dully are often seen walking side-by-side around campus, or eating lunch together. 

It turns out they are good friends.

They first met in 2023, when Dully was hired to work part-time as SHS, after running into each other in the staff lounge. But, once Siddiqi returned from maternity leave in November 2024, the two teachers exchanged phone numbers and their friendship truly began to blossom.

Similar to new students, new teachers also have to find their way around campus, learn the school’s rules and most importantly, make new friends.

“I was super excited because it’s hard to start at a new school and make new friends, even as a teacher,” Dully said.

Like students are eager to see their friends in class, the two teachers say they look forward to sitting with each other at meetings and rallies. They sometimes spend their lunches walking together around the school and on the track.

According to Siddiqi, they typically spend these daily walks talking about their lives. Both teachers share advice with each other about school, along with valuable ideas and inspiration for classroom instruction.

 Though they teach very different subjects, the two say they find common ground in their similar ages and interests. Dully also shared that they love discussing human rights and other similar issues close to their hearts.

“Being similar in age, it has been easy to connect. Even though we are similar, we also come from different backgrounds and have very different life experiences. But, we relate on all the important things,” Dully said.

Beyond usual co-worker interactions, Siddiqi finds their personal exchanges to be a means of catharsis, sharing both the low points and highlights of their day as teachers.

As a student, the idea of spending the school day without friends sounds like quite the exhausting endeavor. Teachers are no exception. Siddiqi explained that before meeting Dully, she would often find herself working all day during classes and lunches and not really having another friend to check in with. But, having a friend to brighten her days has made work far more enjoyable.

“I like being at work a lot more just having someone I know I can share things with or joke around with,” Siddiqi said.

 Referring to Hollywood high school cliches, Siddiqi described Dully as “the art kid.” 

“She’s cool,” Siddiqui said. “She dresses cool, and she embodies an art student and teacher really well.” 

 Similarly, Dully designated herself and Siddiqui as, “people you really want in your group for a project because you know they’ll make it artistic and well-written.”

Because students typically only see the professional side of a teacher’s life, they often forget that their personal lives are just as, if not more, important to them. Siddiqi and Dully’s friendship shows a side to teachers that students don’t always get to see.