Victoria Aitken started her first year as a third-grade teacher at Sienna Crossing Elementary when Fort Bend ISD classes began Aug. 11. Her mother, Lana Aitken, started her 30th year in public education.

On that first morning, Lana showed up at Victoria's door with a bowl of Malt-O-Meal. Victoria, who goes by Tori, lives with her grandmother just around the corner from Lana, so the stop was quick.

"It gave me a reason to get a hug before the first day!" Lana told Fort Bend ISD in a feature published Tuesday, Aug. 25.

Then came the mom advice: take a deep breath, trust yourself and remember you belong in that classroom.

Thirty years apart in experience, the two still shared the same first-day nerves. Lana said she still gets nervous every August, wanting to make sure she is doing right by her students.

Victoria grew up in Fort Bend ISD and graduated from Ridge Point High School. Some of her earliest memories are tied to Scanlan Oaks Elementary, where Lana began teaching when the campus opened. Victoria remembers helping her mom cut laminate, organize assignments and prepare the classroom.

When Victoria was in third grade herself, a classmate told her she was good at explaining things and should become a teacher. She studied psychology in college instead, then began substitute teaching in elementary classrooms. The more time she spent with students, the more that childhood idea took hold.

"I remember my struggles as a student and decided I wanted to step up and help students through those same struggles," Victoria said in the district feature.

When she told Lana she wanted to become an educator, her mom's reaction was blunt. Lana recalled thinking, "Are you sure?" followed quickly by, "Well, you've certainly picked the right family!"

Teaching runs deep in the Aitken household. Lana's sister teaches high school English. Her brother has served as a teacher, coach, principal and superintendent and now serves as executive director of UIL. The three siblings took their teacher certification exams on the same day.

Lana and Victoria bring different styles to the job. Lana leans on 30 years of experience and structure. Victoria sometimes reminds her mom when it is OK to let the little things go. Still, Victoria said she hopes to carry parts of her mom's approach into her own classroom, especially the way Lana helps children grow as readers.

Fort Bend ISD invited community members to share stories of other family duos working in the district.