Mr. and Ms. Havens met on MySpace (the olden-day Facebook) in 2005. Now they are a teacher couple who have been working together since 2019. They spoke about the ups and downs of working with your spouse.
Meeting on MySpace: A quaint start to a modern love story
“We met on MySpace in 2005,” Mr. Havens said. “It was weird because you didn’t meet people online [at that time]. And if you did, it was weird. We were embarrassed to tell people because nobody was like that. Now it’s very common.”
From MySpace to marriage: A journey into teaching
Ms. Havens shared some of the significant milestones they’ve achieved together.
“We got married in 2009,” Ms. Havens said.
The couple didn’t start their professional lives as educators. Mr. Havens became a teacher first, with Ms. Havens following suit soon after.
“We both had different jobs before we were teachers and went back to school for teaching specifically,” Ms. Havens said.
A four-year wait for the right position
Mr. Havens, a math teacher, joined the teaching ranks in 2015.
“They did not need a science teacher for four years,” Mr. Havens said. “And in the back of my mind, I knew that she was looking to get into the public school (She had been teaching at Rice). And when the position finally opened up, I said, ‘hey, if you like me, you’ll love the other me.’”
Balancing act: married and working together
Despite sharing a workplace, the Havens maintain a unique dynamic.
“We actually have a very different schedule so we don’t see each other much during the day,” Ms. Havens explains. “In fact, a lot of students don’t even realize that we’re married until they kind of are like ‘wait a minute… Havens…Havens. Are you guys related?’”
Strength in uniqueness
Contrary to the notion that working together might strain relationships, Mr. Havens confidently asserts, “It’s definitely not strange working together.”
The couple says they have found strength in their shared passion for education, turning a professional partnership into a testament to the potential for harmony between work and married life.
