Janalyn Tuazon-King has followed in her dad’s footsteps in more ways than one. Now teaching the same grade he does, the father‑daughter duo has found a joyful way to celebrate their bond by twinning in matching outfits at school!
When we spotted them in matching outfits in their videos on social media, we wanted to know more. Here’s our Q&A with Janalyn. Plus, be sure to check out her Instagram for more outfit inspiration.
Q: How long have you and your dad been teachers, and what grades and subjects do you teach?
My dad is in his 34th year of teaching! He currently teaches 4th grade, which is a grade he’s taught for a good chunk of his career. Aside from 4th grade, he’s also taught 1st and 5th grades. Ever the athlete, he’s also coached basketball and badminton at his school over the years.
Meanwhile, I’m at the opposite end of my teaching career. This is my fifth year of teaching. I spent my first four years teaching a grade 4/5 split. This school year, I finally got to teach a single grade for the first time: grade 5! You’ll think that I’m really following in my dad’s footsteps since I also coach basketball!
Q: Growing up, what was it like watching your dad teach?
I’ve spent quite a bit of time in my dad’s classroom since childhood. Not only were my siblings and I the children of a teacher, we were teacher’s kids at the school where my dad taught. I remember stopping by his 5th grade class when I was in lower elementary school—my dad and his students always seemed to be having so much fun together!
I can’t say that it was exciting to wait around after school for him to finish his teacher tasks, but it definitely helped me gain more respect for all the work that teachers do. I can’t pinpoint an exact moment when I knew I wanted to follow in his footsteps. It was more of an accumulation of understanding and appreciation for all the wonderful things my dad did for the students and families he worked with over the years.
Q: What ultimately inspired you to become a teacher yourself?
In short, my dad inspired me to become a teacher.
The longer answer is that, toward the end of high school, I did quite a bit of thinking about what career I wanted to end up in. One of the top criteria I had was that the job had to make a difference. Seeing firsthand—and hearing countless stories of—the positive impacts my dad has made as a teacher is what ultimately inspired me to become a teacher.
Q: How has your dad influenced your teaching style or philosophy today?
My dad has always emphasized the importance of building positive relationships with students and their families. This is something that I try my best to prioritize in my teaching practice. It sets the foundation for being able to effectively teach and support all kiddos, not just the ones who already love school.
He’s also emphasized the importance of building positive rapport with your colleagues. My dad is the type of person to take the time to build up a colleague, whether that be by complimenting or thanking them for the great work they do, being a listening ear on a rough day, or giving advice if they ask for some. These are things that I’ve incorporated into my teaching philosophy as well.
Q: You and your dad are getting a lot of attention for dressing alike. How did this first start?
My dad and I drew inspiration from Nicola Sanchez (on TikTok and Instagram) and her dad. They have a series called “What My Dad and I Wore to Teach 5th Grade and High School This Week.” We wanted to put our own spin on it.
I thought it would make sense to do matching outfits since my dad and I both have huge clothing collections, but I initially wasn’t sure if he’d agree to it. Luckily, a colleague in our school district suggested we do matching outfits in the comments of a couple of our videos. My dad loved the suggestion. Since then, we’ve coordinated outfits every other school week!
Q: What goes into planning one of your matching‑outfit posts? Do you brainstorm themes together, or is it more spontaneous?
It depends on the week. If I make it to my parents’ house for dinner on the weekend, my dad and I will raid his closet and plan outfits together. Some weeks, I have an outfit or two that I really want to wear, so I’ll text or video-call him. Then he’ll accommodate as best he can.
More recently, he’s sent a picture of his outfit each night, and I’ve done my best to match it.
Q: What’s been one of your favorite matching looks so far?
One of my favorite matching looks is the one we wore on the second day of teachers’ convention for our region in Alberta. We wore red clothing that said Canada on it to support our country at the Olympics.
A close second is all of our matching outfits that have included the color purple. Those outfits seemed to come together especially well.
Q: How has sharing this father‑daughter teaching bond impacted your relationship?
It’s certainly given us more opportunities to communicate, especially during the weeks we match. We enjoy scheming outfits when I’m at my parents’ place. We also enjoy having a positive, fun moment each school day when we film our video clips. Teaching can be a challenging job at times, so it’s nice to have something in our daily teaching routines that makes us smile, no matter the kind of day we’re having!