Teachers asked students ‘What is Love’ — their responses were so precious that they displayed them at their wedding
Children have the purest and sweetest hearts and emotions. When they love, they love with all honesty and innocence. This comes from their idea of love that they have learned and experienced, which is the most delicate yet adorable thing to witness. Halle Strieter and Thomas Randles met in 5th grade, but their journey has come a long way, per PEOPLE. The duo, who are teachers at the same school district, decided to tie the knot recently and couldn’t imagine leaving their students out of their big day. As a result, Randles asked his fourth graders to share their perspective on love and the excited responses bagged an esteemed position at the wedding reception.
Strieter is a 1st-grade special education teacher, while Randles teaches 4th graders Social Studies and English. After their engagement, they decided to plan something that would ensure their students played a pivotal role on the wedding day. “Being educators is such a huge part of who we are that it’s hard to put into words. We both care deeply about our profession and believe that before we can meet our students’ academic needs, we must meet their social and emotional needs,” the bride and groom explained. For them, “education is more than just academics” and this means they go the extra mile to build their students.
“We are the kind of teachers who smother our students with love and support. We understand that providing experiences — like a pizza party or a nature walk — can leave a lasting impact on children far beyond the curriculum,” they noted. With such a wholesome bond with the kids, it was impossible to organize their big day without a special function for the kids who shaped who they were. "The students were thrilled! Many of them had been begging to come to the wedding, so they were excited to be involved in such a unique way," Randles said. He added that he promised to allow them to "help with the wedding," per Good Morning America. Since the groom’s students were 4th graders and could write, he asked them two questions— “Why do people get married?” and “What is love?”
The tiny tots got to work and put up their best efforts to express their innocent and heart-melting perspectives. The 4th-grade teacher insisted the students go all out and not worry about spelling or grammar. "We wanted their answers to be authentic because that’s what makes children’s perspectives so beautiful and heartwarming. When we read through their responses, we laughed, smiled and even teared up at some of their answers,” they remarked. Strieter's cousin, Lindsey Monte (@lindseymonte_), shared a glimpse of the responses standing proud as centerpieces at their reception on each table.
With spelling mistakes, broken handwriting and responses ranging from a sentence to the cutest paragraph, people were awestruck by the kids’ perspectives. One read, “Love is about being kind and friendly to your partner.” Another truthfully said, “People get married because they’re single and have no one to stay with.” The third note read, “Love is when two people make a family.” With the responses so “hilarious and heartwarming,” the couple was delighted and relieved. “Amid all the stress, reading their responses reminded us to slow down and reflect on the simplicity and beauty of love,” they said. They also described the precious display as a “beautiful reminder of how children view love, which is often far more insightful than we realize."
You can follow Lindsey Monte (@lindseymonte_) on TikTok for more content on relationships and lifestyle.