Fireside Chat
By ALEX LIM
Beards, math, and fatherhood: the only three things in common with Instructors in Mathematics Tim Whittemore and John Mosley. If you’ve ever been in one of their classes, you have most definitely heard of their acquaintanceship. Although the witty comments have caused two of campus’s favorite math teachers to be known as an iconic duo, they claim that even considering it a relationship is a stretch and that an “acquaintanceship” is a much better description.
Quote Mosley, “Relationship is a strong word, I would say that I’m…acquainted with Whittemore.”
Whittemore added, “Relationship seems to imply some respect of some sort. Which is...a stretch? We just happen to teach in the same department. Same building, even.”
Through this interview, I was able to learn that Mosley and Whittemore used to be in neighboring classrooms on the third floor, before Mosley switched into a classroom in the basement.
“I’d say I prefer this classroom over my last,” remarked Mosley, before the interview with Whittemore.
“Why is that?”
“Because it is the farthest away from Timmaus Whittemore.”
Although it was clear that they may not want to spend time together, I wondered, “If forced to, what activity would they choose to do together?”
“Well it definitely wouldn’t be by choice,” said Whittemore, “Maybe…solitaire? Not sardines…sardines is the one where you look for people.”
“I’m not so sure I would look for you,” responded Mosley.
“Maybe the game the seniors play in the spring,”
“The one with the water guns?”
“Yeah, but in the end they’re just trying to avoid each other. So, that game, but just that last part. Day six of assassins.”
What could cause two people to want to avoid each other so much? Is this person even significant in anyway to them? Well, To simply put it, Mosley would describe Whittemore in three words, the “Other math teacher.”
“Ditto,” agreed Whittemore, before thinking of a more descriptive way of putting it, “We are both bearded, teach math, and have 1 to 3 sons, but that’s all.”
Both Mosley’s and Whittemore’s students have experienced some conflict within this acquaintanceship. For example, once, when Whittemore was subbing for Mosley, he told the class that Mosley was not there because he was attending a 24-hour pushup competition. When, in reality, Mosley was NOT indeed at a 24-hour pushup competition.
Another story containing false information is one that Whittemore enlightened me with. “Once, [Mosley] came into my classroom. It was fall term, so maybe it was 12T, which means they were new students and were fairly respectful. So, I still had the Whittemore machine going. And then, Mosley wrote, “Whittemore’s first name is Timmaus” on the board. After that, wasn’t quite able to control the class, and have them work.”
Laughing, Mosley responded, “That’s not true, they definitely ignored what I was doing.”
Quote Whittemore, “Most people do.”
Prep Mohammad Hassan, within his first two terms at Exeter, has had both Whittemore and Mosley as his math teachers. “Mosley and Mr. Whittimore are frenemies who speak of each other as enemies, but in reality, when interacting with each other they act as best friends,” he revealed. “I’ve seen them interact, and they constantly contradict each other and laugh at the same time, which is not the enemy behavior we have been led to believe from each of them. Mosley once entered our class with Whittemore, and warned us to be wary of him, and then returned to his classroom. I would describe them as frenemies who are definitely an iconic duo.”
Two “well acquainted” bearded math teachers with sons, Mosley and Whittemore, are indeed an iconic duo on campus, however much they deny it. Their clever pranks and witty comments never fail to get the class laughing…or scratching their heads as to whether they actually mean it or not.
