Justin Bieber, Getting Naked, & Being Politically Uncorrect: Hello Elementary Education

My first day at my teaching practicum was interesting, to say the least. 

I got placed with a rowdy, loud, WONDERFUL, group of first-graders and couldn’t have been more excited to be there. 

Apparently, Anna, (she’s an Aid for one of the autistic boys in our class, Ben) noticed my giddy, Christmas-morning-like enthusiasm and said, “Just keep smiling like that and you’ll make it out just fine”. 

Either she hates her job or this class is going to kill me…slowly. 

I’m happy to report that I did not die my first day nor do I show any signs of wanting to change my major as a soon-to-be-graduating senior. In fact, my day mostly consisted of: 

• Helping the students stay on task 
• Answering funny questions the students had about me 
• Making kids laugh without having to try very hard 
• Tying about 50 different shoes 
• Zipping 30 jackets slash repairing zippers 
• Locating lost gloves 
• Listening to a random boy that followed me around throughout all of his recess so he could tell me—in great detail—about how he’s going to grow up to kill zombies because, apparently, he does it every day after school. 
• Saving another little boy from a paper cut that about ended the world as he knew it. 

And I absolutely LOVED it. 

However, there was a particular, brief conversation that I had at the end of the day that concerned me. While I was helping zip up Angie’s jacket, among the other 29 that day, she blurted— 

“Mrs. Keller!” 

“Yes, Miss Angie?” 

“Arianna said that Justin Bieber only likes girls that are naked…” 

 For a split second, I just wanted to laugh since the first thoughts to pop in my mind were 

1.  Girl, you can do better than THAT 
2.  You don’t want any of that mess 

But I noticed the legitimate distress in her eyes. 

“Justin Bieber only likes girls that are naked.” 

She actually believed that a popular, young, attractive boy would like her if she were naked. 

Being my first day in the classroom (which is not my own) and fearing what lines I may be crossing by saying what I actually WANTED to say, I hastily replied, “Ew! Gross! Adrianna said that?! Next time she says something like that, tell her that’s inappropriate and not something you want to hear.” 

She then gave me a smile that was hardly convincing and headed out the door, still obviously concerned. 

I came home that afternoon with a pit in my stomach. 6-year-old girls should not have to worry about having to get naked to get a boy to like them. 

I wanted nothing more than to rewind that moment and say what was actually on my mind, no fears attached. 

Since Hermione Granger still has my time turner, I’ll just tell you. 

If you think the same way that this sweet little girl does—that you’ll only find love (or get someone to like you) by taking your clothes off—you couldn’t be more wrong for the following reasons: 

1. You are beautiful just the way you are. (Try and tell me you didn’t just sing that sentence) As cliché as it sounds, it’s absolutely true: you were created EXACTLY how you were meant to be. You don't need to take off your clothes to prove yourself--or anything for that matter. 
2. If a guy (or girl) has to see you naked before they “can really know for sure” if they love you (or like you) or not, they A) are probably a tool and B) definitely don’t know what love is. 
3. If a guy (or girl) is really only interested in people who will show them their goodies, chances are they’re not that picky anyways, which says a heck of a lot more about THEM than it does about YOU. Trust me, you’ve got MUCH better things to do than to hang around people like that. 
4. There's a plethora of couples, including my husband and I, who are walking, talking, breathing examples that a happy, successful marriage can be founded on a relationship that does not experience sexual relations—including taking sneak peeks—before marriage. And yes, it was TOTALLY worth it. 
5. Justin Bieber. Need I say more? 

It wasn’t until that very moment with that sweet, tender, broken little girl that I realized how difficult, heart wrenching, and complicated teaching is going to be. 

Throughout my Bachelor-seeking adventures within the Elementary Education Program, I have been instructed time and time again to go above and beyond, to re-define education, go against the grain, and most importantly, protect myself from potential lawsuits. 

My goals as a teacher don’t simply consist of phrases like, “go above and beyond”, “re-define education” or “go-against the grain”. I want to do SO much more than that. As an educator, some of the things I wish to accomplish include the following: 

• Help my students develop a love for LEARNING, not necessarily a love for school. 
• Teach my students what it means to look beyond themselves and WONDER; ask questions, take risks, find what interests them, create goals, reflect, and so much more 
• Show my students through my words and actions what it really means to say, “I’m sorry” and “I forgive you” and teach them to do the same. 
• Demonstrate love and gratitude for each of my students—especially those who receive none at home 
• Provide a safe and uplifting classroom environment in which my students can feel free to be themselves as they grow mentally, physically, emotionally and socially. 
• Challenge my students to keep improving and always do their best 
• Invite my students challenge themselves to find ways to beat their best 
• Prepare my students to be good citizens that contribute positively to society 
• Develop an open line of communication between my student’s parents and myself so we can work together as a team to find new ways to meet their child’s individual needs and to encourage parental support and participation in their child’s education. 

How the heck am I supposed to accomplish this small and simple list--along with everything else that I want to accomplish--as a FUTURE teacher when I’m already worried about losing my not-job because of a response I’m about to give to a 6-year-old girl who thinks boys like JB will only like her if she peels off her Hello-Kitty shirt, Old Navy jeans, light-up Sketchers, and Princess undies? 

Well, you give political correctness the middle finger, that’s how. 

Even though I can’t change the way politics blankets our educational system over night, I can choose to stick it to the man and focus on why I got into education in the first place: 

the children. 

These kids have so much more to worry about than their spelling tests, math homework, and meeting their AR reading goals. I know I can’t be their teacher AND their mother AND their super hero AND their knight in shining armor AND their protector AND everything else I want to be for them. But I can work hard, get to know my students individually, share my love of learning, and do everything in my power to ensure that the experience they have from the moment they enter my classroom until they return home is a positive, inviting, and a rewarding experience for them. 

So, back to my important question: How the heck do you do it? 

Well, from what I understand, you do exactly what the kids do: 

1. Try really, REALLY hard 
2. Make lots of mistakes 
3. Cry sometimes 
4. Get frustrated 
5. Celebrate the victories 
6. Become better each day 

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child." 

~ Forest Witcraft 

 Note: The names used in this blog, besides my own, are not the actual names of any students in the classroom.

Let's recap.

2013 is officially dead and gone, dead and gone.

However, the memories made and relationships built still live on! Let's recap, shall we?

This year was a pretty awesome for us.

We adopted a puppy

...or  I just picked one up out of a box that said, "puppies for sale" outside of Walmart and took pictures with it.

We got our craft on.

We also learned how to cook & stuff.

We took our car, Carlos, on many adventures where we encountered wild creatures such as buffalo, elk, moose, bears, and our very own family.

Nathan and I also got to show off our mad skills in various sports such as soccer, volleyball, and of course, dodgeball. We even got to play on a couple of the same teams. I was a huge fan of this because I could sneak kisses and pinch Nathan's butt whenever I wanted. He'd usually swat me away, pretending like he didn't like it, then throw a wink at me. We're totally in love.

Unfortunately, we only documented soccer events. Volleyball we didn't document because Nathan was too busy yelling at my coaches and cheering on my team and me like the wonderful husband he is. Dodgeball we didn't document because 

A) we both played on the same team and 

B) by the end of the game, everyone would be too pissed off to even think about taking pictures and smiling. 

If there's anything I've learned about dodgeball, it's that it transforms people in terrifying ways. 

Either way, we had a freaking blast.

Speaking of sports, Nathan, his brother, Cody, their father, Chris, and our brother-in-law, Eric all competed in a cycling race. They did awesome! They all made their goal of making it across the finish line after cycling 60 miles. We thought Bampa (Chris) was gonna have a heart attack, but he didn't. He made it :]

And please don't tell me how awesome Nathan looks in his cycling gear, because I already know. ;]

Oh, P.S. our apartment flooded. nbd.

This year I got to throw a couple baby showers. The first was for my awesome sister-in-law, Lindsey who was then carrying my niece. Her shower was themed, "She's About to Pop". 

The other was for one of my adorable co-workers, Ashley and since she was going to have a handsome little man, her shower was themed, "Ahoy! It's a Boy!" 

I had a lot of fun putting these showers together, but I was stoked when these showers were over because of all the left over goodies I got to take home with me. Yep, I'm a phatty and I wear it proudly.

Speaking of babies, our niece, Adysin came into the world! She's a snuggler.

My bro, his honey, and their little nugget: aren't they the cutest?

This year I also enjoyed the beauty of Facetime, Snapchat, Temple Run, and took a lot of flattering selfies.

Oh ya! I chopped off my hair. Goodbye 10 inches of headaches, too much effort, and ...*sniff* *sniff*... perfection.

We also did something I could honestly say I never EVER thought I would do: 

Go on a double date with my parentals. And like it.

And finally, we had a LOT of fun. We made up our own games, did a lot of laughing, cried a little, traveled, had snowball fights, played catch inside the house because we're adults, we played pranks on each other, got our cuddle on, spent time with family, made new friends and got to know old friends. 

When it comes to the whole "living" thing, I'd say we pretty much

Our story & stuff.

Yep, I'm officially one of those people. A Blogger.

And yes, this entire blog is dedicated slash centered around [in one way or another] what I love most: my hubby & foreva lova, Nathan, and our wonderful life together.

And whatever else I deem worthy of our blog.

But WHY?! Why blog? Well, because I do what I want. Cuz I'm an adult, man.

AND because I’ve sort of had this New Year’s resolution that I’ve basically renewed every year since I was about 12… it’s called “journal-keeping”.

I’ve finally come to grips with the fact that:
A) I suck at keeping New Year’s resolutions (which are ludicrous anyways because it’s way to much freaking pressure. I’m more of the goal-setting all-year around type of gal) and
B) I’m not disciple enough to faithfully keep a journal… which is mostly because I hate hand cramps and choose to avoid them when possible.

Which brings us to blogging! I figured blogging about my life would allow my creative juices to flow and it could be the new and improved version of journal keeping.

Plus, with this fairly recent upgrade to my life called “marriage”, I get to post tons of pictures and talk about a hot guy I’m crushing on and it won’t be creepy! Right?

...

Anyways, I figured the best way to start of this blog party is to tell you the short-ish version of the story of how the two of us met & stuff:

Once upon a time, in a far away land called Ojai, California, there lived two families: Shelbee’s family and Nathan's Family.

Nathan’s family were all faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Shelbee’s family was faithfully “church hopping”.

Nathan’s Dad and Shelbee’s Dad became friends. Yay!

Shelbee’s Dad took the missionary discussions and was baptized a member of the LDS church. Shelbee’s Dad then baptized three of his children, including Shelbee.

Woah! Turns out, Shelbee’s Mom was baptized as a member of the LDS (Mormon) church when she was 12! Cool! So, Mom became an active member once again.

Shelbee’s family moves out of Ojai and into Ventura.

Life goes on for another 10+ years.

Nathan goes on a mission to Concepcion, Chile. He learns Spanish (so hot). He thinks about Shelbee every once in a while.

Shelbee works and goes to school at Ventura College, then transfers to BYU-Idaho. She goes on a lot of dates… but something’s missing.

She thinks about Nathan and remembers that he is on his mission. She decides to write him a letter since she thought he was super hot...but chickens out and throws it away instead of sending it. She Facebook stalks him instead.

Towards the end of her first semester at BYU-I, Nathan gets home from his mission. Shelbee is looking forward to going home.

A few days after his return, she gets text messages from her parents, one right after the other.

She later finds out that her parents went to a church function and both saw Nathan. They were on DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE ROOM when they texted her.
  

First major sign that things could work out ^^

Shelbee gets home to CA from school and spends a lot of time admiring Nathan from a distance and flirting with him whenever possible. Nathan is shy... but likes her too.

Nathan and Shelbee go to a ward activity. Shelbee purposefully has her mom drop her off so she could get a ride home…

Nathan gives Shelbee a ride home. Fist pump.

Nathan asks Shelbee out on a date. Shelbee screams inside with excitement, and gently says, 
HELL YA. 

Or just yes.

They go on many dates. Nathan asks Shelbee if she would be his girlfriend. Shelbee thinks about it for a few minutes... and says yes.

Nathan quickly fell in love with Shelbee.

Shelbee quickly fell in love with Nathan.

The two lovebirds exchange "I love you's", hugs, and lots of kisses. They want to get married.

Nathan pops the question (that’s another story for another blog post)

Shelbee says, "yes" and happy cries. Nathan performs his victory dance then poses.

Nathan and Shelbee got married, exchanged V-cards, and now they are living their very own “happily ever after” consisting of Nerf wars, weekend adventures to nearby Yellowstone, staying up way too late talking, laughing ‘til they cry, shrinking each other's clothes, taking care of each other when they are sick, and much, much more.