Do you ever go to sign up for Ac. lab and see that there are two Whitchers? Many parents mix the two up during parent-teacher conferences.
A great love story starts with where you meet. Kyle and Dani Whitcher met while doing sports together at Truman University.
“I played football and Mrs. Whitcher ran cross country and athletes usually hung around in the same area so we got to know each other,” Mr. Whitcher said.
Mrs Whitcher said she has always wanted to be an English teacher, and she gained some inspiration from her own high school English teacher.
“I knew when I was in high school that I wanted to be an English teacher. I had an excellent English teacher and she inspired me to pursue that path,” Mrs. Whitcher said.
Mrs. Whitcher came to South High in the fall of 2018. She currently teaches English 1 and 2 and is the assistant coach for the girls cross country team.
Mr. Whitcher originally worked as a fitness instructor and wasn’t looking to become a teacher. However, after some thought and discussion, they concluded that they would be a better team if they worked together, not only at school but at home as well. Mr and Mrs Whitcher have two young children, a son, Rowan, and a daughter Nora.
“I originally worked at a gym downtown, but switching to education, our family schedule wasn’t the same. Now we are on the same schedule where I can help out more,” Mr. Whitcher said.
Since making that decision, Mr. Whitcher has been teaching at South High for the past four years. He currently solely teaches Strength and Conditioning classes. Additionally, he is an assistant coach for the football and track teams.
Mrs. Whitcher said she believes her husband has positively impacted others and had a positive first impression.
“He made a transition from personal training and we were looking for a teaching job and he made a positive impression on people here at South and South liked the skills he brought and then it just happened naturally,” Mrs. Whitcher said.
Although they teach in the same building, they’re unfortunately at different ends of the building. Mr. Whitcher teaches down in what is considered “the basement” and Mrs. Whitcher teaches up in the English hallway so they don’t see each other often.
“We don’t see each other that often because I’m way down here in the dungeon of the weight room which is the furthest room away from the English area. I might go check my mailbox once or twice a week and if she is on planning period, I might walk by and say hi but not very often,” Mr. Whitcher said.
Although work can be exhausting, both Mr. and Mrs. Whitcher enjoy being around kids and learning from their jobs daily.
“We love the students we teach and are inspired by our job and we get energized being around kids and it’s a fun play,” Mr. Whitcher said.
