The three siblings, Emi, Keri and Ali, grew up together practically in each other's shadow. They attended the same schools, from Riverbend Elementary to North Hall High, and the same college, Brenau University in Gainesville.

Today, the three young twentysomethings all teach at Riverbend: Ali Roberts in first, Emi Lawson in second and Keri Smith in third. The only slip among them was that Keri spent one year at Lula Elementary School.

Now here's the kicker: Their mom, Sha Lawson, taught special education there for 26 years and now works in a part-time, systemwide position that's based at the North Hall school.

"We have a lot of love for each other, and when we see each other, we might give each other a quick hug or something," Sha said. "But we try very hard to keep (working together) on a level of being professional."

That means addressing each other as Miss or Mrs. Lawson, Mrs. Roberts or Mrs. Smith when they see each other. Hallway hellos aren't very frequent, however, because of the different grade levels. Also, Sha stops by the Cleveland Highway school just two or three times a week.

But principal Debra Smith still had her concerns about the bloodline. As the sisters starting coming into the school as teacher candidates, she brought the issue before the school's leadership team.

The team decided "we want the very best person for the job," Debra Smith said. "And the (sisters) are all top graduates out of Brenau. They always had the highest ratings. We're not hiring them blindly."

Of the sisters, Keri is the veteran teacher, with three years' experience, the past two at Riverbend. Ali is in her second year and Emi is the rookie.

The seasoned pro, of course, is their mom, who arrived at Riverbend after spending one year each in South Carolina and Fayette and Bibb counties in Georgia.

"I'm not one to fix things so life will be a bowl of cherries for them," she said. Learning responsibility "is what makes us grow and turn out to be productive citizens."

In addition to attending school, they spent a lot of time around their mom's co-workers. "We formed relationships with other classroom teachers," Keri said.

Sha left her full-time position after last school year and her retirement becomes effective in December. She now serves as a diagnostician for North Hall schools.

Emi is pondering a career in physical education and looking at going back for her master's degree, possibly at the University of Georgia in Athens or North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega.

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