It’s rare for a married couple to work the same job, let alone at the same school, and it’s even rarer to have both as your teachers, but here at Rogers, we have. They have been working here together for six total years, three years as a married couple after a year of dating. Nathan Whitley is a science teacher who has been working here for 12 years, and Jamie Whitley is a Spanish teacher who has been working here overall for six years.

The Whitleys have similar stories as to why they became teachers.

“I had a good mentor who knew me well and said I should look into teaching, and I ended up here where I met Mrs. Whitley,” Nathan Whitley said.

“I got a degree in Spanish because I liked studying Spanish in high school, and then when I went to college, I still studied Spanish and during that time I worked with younger kids, and I realized I liked working with the youth. So, I changed my degree to a teaching degree, and then I got an elementary degree and a Spanish degree. I had gone to Argentina and when I got back, I needed a job, so I applied at rogers and got the job,” Jamie Whitley said.

They met here and that’s how they began dating.

“We began dating one year after working together, then we dated for one year, then we were engaged for one year, then we worked here for two years while married,” Nathan Whitley said. “Then we had our kid and (Jamie) spent six years at home before spending 6 years at Ballou. Now she’s back here with me.”

When asked how they feel working at the same school they both had similar answers.

“I really enjoy working at the same school as Mr. Whitley, It’s fun going to sporting events with him because we have a lot of the same students, and I like being a part of a lot of after school activities with said.

Nathan Whitley agrees.

amazing, its good we have a lot of shared experiences, we can talk about what’s going on in school and we can even carpool together to save gas,” he said.

Nathan also says they have very different teaching styles and many different approaches to teaching.

“She works harder than me, but our subjects are so different, so just the way that you approach them, but she is more energetic, I think I’m a little more laid back and strict then she is,” he said.

Sophomore Alex Lapin who has both teachers concurs: “Mr. Whitley is stricter, but Mrs. Whitley is really strict when it comes to phones.”

“Mr. Whitley is pretty strict when it comes to phones and headphones, but other than that he’s pretty laid back,’’ sophomore Isabella Morones says.

They both say they never have had any challenges working together and that overall, it’s a good thing to do and make conversation about.

Their advice to any couples that want to work together.

“As long as you communicate with each other, and work well go for it and have fun with it” Nathan Whitley says.