Have you ever wondered who your teacher’s best friend is?
Just like the students, South teachers spend hours and years working in this building. It is not hard to believe that some strong friendships have developed along the way.
Strength and Conditioning teacher Kyle Whitcher’s classroom is in the basement, away from almost every other teacher. He said that the odd location does make it harder for him to interact with his colleagues. One of his friends is his wife, Dani Whitcher, who is an English teacher at Parkway South.
“Being in the basement is kind of nice. Being the Strength and Conditioning teacher you can focus and push yourself down here. It’s a safe place where kids can feel comfortable and show their true selves,” Whitcher said.
In the English department, teachers Nicole Daniels and Lisa Giljum-Jansky have had a friendship going on for over 20 years. Staying connected for this long started in their first few years teaching together.
“It is easier to make friends with people in your department just because you see them more regularly. The English department is very close and we do many things together inside and outside of school. We have a lot in common but more importantly, we care about each other and our families,” Daniels said.
Throughout the school, most teachers have said making friends outside of their department is a lot harder than you think. Teachers have said it is because of time restraints, that they don’t get to venture outside of their circle much.
Another story comes from James Lake in the history department at South.
“As an adult, I think we tend to look less at quantity when it comes to friends. You have more commitments outside of work that occupy your time like family,” Lake said.
Lake said he focuses more on strong friendships because of the lack of time they can spend with each other. Most times Lake is only able to interact with other teachers during passing periods and lunch which is about it.
Lake developed a strong friendship with fellow history teachers Drew Jennings and Mitch Stevens, although his friendship with Stevens started somewhat early.
“Stevens and I both went to South for high school. He was a year older. We didn’t know each other but had some mutual friends. Ran into each other a couple of times at Mizzou but that was it… Later on I student taught for Stevens and then played in a band together for a good while,” Lake said.
After all, teachers all interact with each other daily but it’s the real friendships that make teaching better.
“Our love for teenagers, math, and family make teaching the best,” Math teacher Anne Erehart said.
