My Valentine

In January 2012, I began my final Spring semester as an undergraduate. I was nearing the end of my schooling to become an educator. Before student teaching, I was required to complete forty observation hours in a classroom. Pretty standard protocol. I contacted the teacher whose classroom I'd been assigned to and set a date to start.

The day was February 2, 2012. Groundhog's Day. A day that plays over and over again in my head. I knocked gently on the classroom door and the teacher walked over to welcome me. Now, it may have been that I was still in my morning haze and hadn't had enough coffee yet. Or it could have been the way the morning sunlight came through the window and enveloped her in an orange glow, but as I remember it, I was greeted by an angel. There is no doubt in my mind that she was heaven sent.

I don't remember much from the rest of that day, but I do remember going home that night and saying a foxhole prayer. "God, if you do exist, I'm pretty sure you want nothing to do with me. But if you give me a shot, I swear I'll do right by you. I know that this is the girl that I will marry." And with that, the mountains began moving.

It wasn't just her sheer beauty that captivated me. It was her presence. The way she walked, the way she talked, the way she laughed. More than anything else, though, I was attracted to her intelligence and independence. She was a strong, independent young woman that knew what she wanted and did everything she had to do to attain it. And she was passionate about teaching kids. I nearly fell over the first time I heard her read aloud to the class (The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo if you were wondering). I had never seen such passion for teaching before. It was foreign to me.

Side note: I had completed many observation hours before. They taught me how NOT to teach. I remember an elderly female teacher taking a third grader's chair away and making him stand for the rest of the period because he was fidgeting. Another fond memory is of a male Social Studies teacher who preferred to teach from his chair with his feet up on the desk. Students would read a chapter from the textbook and answer the end of the chapter questions. Whatever they didn't complete was homework. "Homework is the great equalizer," was his departing wisdom.

As Valentine's Day approached, I hatched a plan to profess my love to Miss Applegate. One day, when she was out of the room, I gathered the class to take a picture. I went home and Photoshopped a Valentine's Day card that read: "Happy Valentine's Day, We Love You!" I hoped that she would read between the lines and realize by "we," I really meant, "I."

At the end of my semester, I had completed nearly 200 observation hours! It wasn't just because I fell in love. It was because in that classroom I actually learned to teach. Fast forward seven years later, Miss Applegate is now Mrs. Seibert. We have managed to build a pretty good life together. We have a house, an amazing little daughter, and a baby boy arriving in April. Danielle continues to inspire and motivate me every day. She is still that strong, intelligent, independent woman that knows what she wants and does what it takes to get it. She has taught me that there is nothing that cannot be attained if your intentions are pure and you let love be the guide.

Happy Valentine's Day!