History Teachers, Life Lessons, and a Trivia Smackdown with Lauren Cella

Lauran: This podcast discusses content that may be triggering to some listeners. Check the description below for content warnings. And now a limerick. 

Jordan: There once was a podcast with Chiari with topics, both heavy and dreary. Job loss and despair will give you a scare. Content warnings proceed, but be leery. 

Lauren: Why are teachers always crying in our car?

It's our safe space. It's a thing. It's, it's really a thing. Every teacher I talk to, I'm like, hey, how many times did you cry in your car your first year? And many, many, 

Lauran: many, many times.

Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of we are fine podcast. Is it we are fine or we are fine? I always say it different. You know, 

Jordan: it's whatever you want it to be. All right. 

Lauran: Well, today I want it to be. We are fine. 

Jordan: We're fine. 

Lauran: We are fine. Are we fine though? Somewhat. If 

Jordan: you're not laughing through the tears, are you fine?

I don't know. That's a good question. That's 

Lauran: what our whole show is all about. We deep dive into tons of different relationships, including teacher relationships and all kinds of stuff that life throws at us. So before we get into our guest, which I'm super excited about today, What's new with you, Jordan?

Well, 

Jordan: um,

well You good? Are 

Lauran: you fine? 

Jordan: I don't know, my brain just keeps shutting off today. It has been, uh 

Lauran: It's been a week. It has been a week. It's been a crazy week for us. 

Jordan: Well, at least this was a fun week. You participated in your first golf tournament. 

Lauran: I did. Ever. I did. His company hosts a golf outing every year for like their charitable foundation.

I'm gonna hit my mic. For their charitable foundation. Why are you 

Jordan: beating the mic? I 

Lauran: didn't mean to. He's just standing 

Jordan: there just taking in the airwaves and you're just bashing them in. 

Lauran: But yeah, so I got to, well, compete is a loose term here. I got to play. There were definitely 

Jordan: people competing. Yeah, not us.

We were 

Lauran: not one of them. No, we were just playing for funsies and like, okay, I thought I was okay. Like, I, I've been practicing my golf swing for a while. I am by no means a golfer. 

Jordan: I'm sorry. 

Lauran: But like, your one co worker just blew us all out of the water. 

Jordan: Which one? 

Lauran: Jackie. She was just crushing it left and right.

Oh yeah. She did really well. 

Jordan: I, I like that you were like, I thought I was decent. Lauren, I watched you hit a golf ball backwards. 

Lauran: Stop! No, I did not. 

Jordan: Backwards at the driving range. I didn't know that was possible until that day. 

Lauran: I made it possible. But, no, I had a lot of fun though. That's a 

Jordan: skill right there.

It is, it is. You should, like, golf trick shots. It 

Lauran: is. Listen, it's like a curveball, but for golf. It's a backspin. A 

Jordan: backspin. 

Lauran: Anyway, uh, I think my, my favorite part was driving the golf cart up and down those massive hills. I thought we were going to die. Like, I thought we were going to tip the cart. And at one point, actually, so one, one of his co workers, we had a team of four people, so we had two golf carts, and one of his co workers was driving down the fairway and going to pick up her ball.

Cause like, when you Look, when you play in a tournament like this, it's not really a tournament, but it's like, um, we play, it's called Scramble. So, whoever hits the ball closest to the hole is, that's the ball that everybody else hits off of every time you take your turn. So, she was going to collect her ball to move it to the place we were hitting from.

And so, the other person's driving the golf cart, and I look over, and I just see her reach for the ball, reach a little too far. And go tumbling out of the golf cart and on to the ground and just bust out laughing. 

Jordan: But the golf cart was also still in motion. 

Lauran: It was definitely still in motion. Like, not speeding or anything, but like, enough that like, she had to do like a little duck and roll.

But she was totally okay and she was, she thought it was funny. And everybody, Who, like, she works with you and all of your co workers 

were, 

like, 

teasing her about it the rest of the day and she was totally playing along with the jokes. 

Jordan: How about, she came in, like, after that, like, she had a massive bruise.

Lauran: No, she did not! Oh my gosh! It was, like, 

Jordan: all, like, down, like, her, like, thigh and everything. Is she okay? Yeah, she was fine. It just hurt the next day. Oh, 

Lauran: jeez. I, like, It didn't look like she fell that hard, but 

Jordan: I 

Lauran: was also, like, way across the fairway. I also, 

Jordan: I also want to redirect this, uh story because um you're not telling about how you almost 

Lauran: um just 

Jordan: murdered someone 

Lauran: no i did not okay you're being dramatic 

Jordan: you hit that golf ball at 100 miles an hour straight for someone's head so 

Lauran: okay 100 miles an hour i think that's a bit of a stretch 

Jordan: no you're definitely on that wpga track and you were like that that okay it's not my fault off the tee it's 

Lauran: not my fault that they had Like they had placed this this group of people under a tent with like they were like a refreshment stand So you had like beverages and like water and snacks and they placed them under this tent right in between two of the courses and Whatever fairways.

I'm not a golfer. And so one of the fairways You, um, hit from the left side and the other fairway you hit from the right side. So the one where you hit from the right side, they tilted the back of the tent so it would like shield them from incoming golf balls, and I I have this thing where when I, when I go to drive the ball, for whatever reason, if I don't stand crooked AF, I'm gonna launch that ball clear to the right.

I don't, I could be standing straight on and it's going that way. I don't understand why, but I launched the ball. And it hit the little golf cart truck that was right behind the tent, and I immediately was like, I'm sorry! 

Jordan: I like, but what's even funnier about this is we stopped there right before that tea, and we're talking to them, and you asked 

Lauran: And I said, I said, Who put you here?

Because I don't think this is a great place to be. Yeah, 

Jordan: you targeted them. Don't act like you weren't out there for blood. I 

Lauran: absolutely was not. You were 

Jordan: totally out there for blood. 

Lauran: You're so mean. No, I wasn't. I was just trying to hit the ball. I can't aim it. I don't know where it's gonna go. You think I have control over that thing?

No, I'm the queen of the backspin. I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know what you're talking about. Anywho, so it was a really fun time doing some golfing. Um, I definitely am not going to be going pro anytime soon, but Yeah, check in with me next year after I get some more practice in, but I think I'm, I'm like almost there, but like, not quite.

Yeah, I hope you can sense my sarcasm if you're not watching 

Jordan: this on YouTube. I give you four years, four years. 

Lauran: Until I go pro? 

Jordan: Till you're Tiger Woods level. 

Lauran: Oh, okay. Definitely. Who is, uh, okay, but who is a female golfer? 

Jordan: Oh god, I don't. 

Lauran: You can't name one. 

Jordan: I don't like the implications of this. Oh god, you put me in the hot seat.

Oh, I'm 

Lauran: melting. Okay, to be fair, I also don't know a female golfer, so right after this, I'm gonna look up female, the top female golfers in the world, because I don't know them and I want to know them. 

Jordan: I like, I like playing golf. That's about the extent of my golf knowledge. I think I only know 

Lauran: two golfers, actually.

Jordan: One of them's a drink that I know. 

Lauran: A drink? 

Jordan: Yeah. 

Lauran: Oh, is it Arnold Palmer? 

Jordan: Yeah. He 

Lauran: was a golfer? 

Jordan: Yes, he was a very famous golfer. I just 

Lauran: thought it was a guy that liked tea and lemonade. 

Jordan: No! 

Lauran: No, I did not know that. But anyway, it was, I know Tiger, okay, so I guess I know three then. I know Tiger Woods. Yes. I know, um, Arnold Palmer.

And then I know Phil Mickelson. No, 

Jordan: Shooter McGavin, 

Lauran: Caddyshack, no, anywho, um, but let's get into today's guest because I'm so pumped. You guys are in for a treat. We have Lauren Chela on the show today and you guys have to know who she is. She is Gen Z history herself. She's a teacher and content creator who has like, Racked up the numbers, teaching history in a way that kids can understand and makes it super entertaining.

So when we come back from this little break, we are going to have the queen herself, Lauren Chela. We'll be right back.

All right, guys, we are back with our very first guest ever on The we're fine podcast. I'm so excited that it's another Lauren. Oh, yay. Lauren 

Jordan: squared. I know. 

Lauran: So, um, actually when I told Jordan, who is coming on the show, like he made a really funny joke. So I'm going to let him have his time. You're going to make me.

Okay. So yes, 

Jordan: Lauren, you are aware of the movie school of rock, right? With Jack Black. Absolutely, yes. Absolutely. Okay, so, I made, like, the dumbest dad joke when she told me you were coming on because your last name is Chella, right? Correct. I'm saying that, correct? So, I was like, oh, Lauren Chella. You mean Lauren Chello.

Theme: Like, yes. Chello. 

Jordan: Chello. You gotta, you gotta 

Theme: get the pitch in 

Jordan: your voice. I am sorry. Try again, try 

Lauran: again. Upper, 

Jordan: higher? 

Lauran: Cello! Cello! 

Lauren: I 

Lauran: will take it, yes. Oh, yay! Anyway, you want to tell our, our listeners a little bit about yourself and the type of content that you make? 

Lauren: Yes. Hi everybody. I feel so special that I'm the first guest ever.

So amazing. I'm glad that you could have me on. I am a History teacher. I used to teach high school and this is my first year teaching middle school, but I'm still a history teacher. And I'm best known as like the Gen Z history teacher because I make, I think they're, I think they're funny. I make funny history lesson videos and kind of just like millennial nostalgia videos.

Um, most of them are just kind of jokes like about different generational humor and like trying to understand our students and just. Um, it's something that has really connected and I've been so excited to meet all of these people on this journey. So I am here just to chat with Lauren and Jordan and I'm so excited.

Lauran: Well, I, I remember like, cause Lauren and I just met like this past summer, um, at VidCon and before I had met you in person, I watched like binged all your Gen Z history videos because I'm a history nerd. And I just think they're hilarious, and just, you so fluently use all the Gen Z slang, and I mean, is it even Gen Z anymore?

Is it still Gen Z? I don't know, Lauren, I might have to be like, 

Lauren: doing a rebrand, because these new kids, like, in like, the later elementary, middle school age, like, they're starting to be Gen Alpha, or right on, like, the border. So, we're at the point where I don't even know if Gen Z knows. what all of the new words are anymore.

Like, we're like two generations above now. So I'm just going to keep going and see. I'm in the trenches now in middle school, so I should be like the first to know if anything new comes up. So I'll keep everybody, all the millennials posted. 

Lauran: Yeah, we need your help 

Jordan: with that. We're going to need that. So, so we could stay cool because, oh man, getting into the thirties kind of hurts.

Lauran: We have like in fifth grade, um, we make a joke all the time that like. Our fifth graders are the last to know with like slang that's popular, so we'll always be like two, three years behind in terms of, you know, the slang they use, so like what was cool three years ago is what they're saying now, you know, with the occasional like skibbity riz thrown in there, but like, It's not, like, we're so off track in terms of slang, so, uh, yeah, we need your help.

Lauren: That's true, I mean, I mean, by the time that we know about it, it's probably over, so, I don't know, maybe there's no hope. 

Lauran: There's no hope for the rest of us. We're all stuck in the past forever. 

Jordan: Oh gosh, that's so dark. 

Lauran: I don't mean to make it dark, man, but sometimes I 

Jordan: can say, so you did say Skibbity Riz, I think one of the ones that even hurt me was Um, I do a lot of work with my CEO filming and stuff for him for marketing purposes, and he's like, he's pushing 70, and he came to me the one day, he's like, hey, my granddaughter used this term, skibbity doodah, what does it mean?

And I was like, oh, it's, it's just skibbity, and let's just stop it right 

Lauran: there. It's funny enough, because so in between, um, our classes that we really switch a half day between my co teachers. You know, room in mind. And we had a few extra minutes the other day. So I was like, I sometimes during recess when they're like playing in the room, I'll do like my Duolingo lessons.

And they were like, Oh, teach us Spanish. I'm like, Okay, so I was like, what kind of words do you guys want to learn? And they were, you know, throwing out random ones. Like, one kid was like, carrot, pumpkin, and then You know, I had one kid that was like, what the Sigma? Teach me how to say that. Or like, the one kid actually did ask how to say Skibbity Riz.

And I was like, no, I was like, I'm not translating that. 

Jordan: I was gonna say, we're gonna put Lauren's Gen Z knowledge to the test. What is Skibbity Riz in Spanish? 

Lauren: Oh my goodness. I don't even think it has a definition in English. I don't think the linguists and the historians. I don't think the linguists and the historians.

Um, and the 5th graders and 6th graders have settled because I've heard skibbity be positive and I've heard it be negative. I think it's just a filler word. So at this point, I don't think it is positive or negative. 

Lauran: I've only ever heard it referred to as like a skibbity toilet. Like have we heard that somewhere on the internet?

Jordan: Yeah. 

Lauran: Is 

Lauren: that a thing? 

Lauran: That's 

Lauren: a thing. It's mainstream. He has a, I think he has a major motion picture. He has toys. Yeah. It's a costume at Spirit Halloween. Like, it has fully infiltrated the mainstream. He's got a whole enterprise. Yeah. Yes. A whole enterprise. It's not, I, if we thought it was going away, it's It's not.

Lauran: That's the thing though. I mean, there you go. That's your next merch idea is start making different slang merch. You could have, you could have totally capitalized on the skibbity toilet. Man. 

Lauren: Next time. Next time. I'll catch the next one. I'll let that one go. That's fine. They can go without me. I'll catch the next one.

Lauran: So something I always like to hear about, um, just whenever I like talk to people about like the holidays coming up, um, are there. Holiday traditions. So, like, do you have any cool holiday traditions that you might do at, like, school or even, like, ones that you might, um, have with your family? Just anything that you guys do that is special to you?

Lauren: Yeah. So, around the holiday time, like, October, November is when, you know, it kicks off at, like, The schools that I teach at, the demographics are mostly like Mexican Hispanic students, so we'll have, like, usually, like, the whole school will put together, like, an ofrenda or something for, like, Dia de los Muertos or Hispanic Heritage Month, and then kind of rolling into December.

Um, since I teach history, One of the things that I've done in the past on the last day of school is I'll read like a picture book about the World War I truce where we played soccer with the German troops in the middle of no man's land. And it's something that we like learned about briefly, but like, didn't really have time to get into the whole story.

And even though it's like a picture book, like the older teenage kids still, you know, are quiet and listen. And it's just something that kind of ends. It's the holiday time on a nice note before we go off to winter break. 

Lauran: I'm pretty sure I, I read that book last year cause I, I distinctly remember maybe it was something a little bit different, but I, I remember reading a picture book about like the two sides, like in the trenches and then something about like, did it happen in the book where they actually like got together on like the holiday?

Did they actually come out of the trenches and get together? 

Lauren: Yeah, so it was more actually like the soccer thing was, it wasn't like just a humongous soccer game. It was like they played soccer, but they also just kind of talked, like exchanged things, sang songs and, but it really was only just for that one day, but it's just like a moment in time and hopefully kind of more things can bring us together than divide us.

So it's just like a nice message for. The holiday season, I think. 

Lauran: No, I completely agree, and I, honestly, that's like, just goes to show the power that even picture books have in sending those kinds of messages, and I, I mean, being an elementary school teacher, picture books are my life, I collect tons of them, I have them all in my classroom, and this year I'm actually kind of sad because we got a new literacy curriculum so we don't really get to use our actual picture books.

Picture books, we have to use the text that's in the textbook the kids have, so that kind of is a bummer, but I try to like sneak them in here and there when I have time. But those are always the best ones. It's when, it's when you have a, almost like a historical fiction text or even really just a narrative that the kids are reading about a real life topic that actually happened and they're like, wait, you mean they stopped fighting for a whole day?

Like, cause I remember their reaction to that book and it's always, you know, really interesting to see how the kids react to that. So that's really, really cool. Yeah, 

Jordan: so, um, now speaking of like moments in history and that, I know Lauren and I, we have, we have our favorite, uh, we're kind of like history nerds, so we have like our favorite eras of like history, like we love like deep diving in and everything, I know Lauren is a big fan of like the revolution, like revolutionary history and everything, I am a big like World War I and World War II nerd, so I love studying that stuff, so what, what are your like favorite, like, eras and like moments in history that that just are really interesting to you or like you love to like deep dive into.

Lauren: I really love modern world history. So I like teaching like the democratic revolutions of like the late 1700s, the Haitian Revolution, French Revolution, American Revolution, because it was just, you know, they were all just kind of go in there. For a while, so. It was like a, it was the, it was the trend of the century.

The enlightenment is like where we pick up on that unit and like, it's not the most exciting to teach, but we're laying the foundation. I'm like, hey guys, like, this is gonna matter, like, These ideas are going to come back, okay, there's not a lot of action right now, but we're getting there. So I love teaching that unit, and I also really like teaching obviously World War II and the Cold War.

So I would say like the, like 20th century, so like the late 1700s and the 20th century are my favorite to deep dive about and to teach about. 

Lauran: That's really cool. I remember I had an awesome history teacher in, I think it was 10th grade, um, and that was when we did, was that when we did U. S. history? 

Jordan: Um.

Lauran: Miss Leskovec. 

Jordan: Yes, that was, that was U. S. history, that was, um, up until we stopped at like the 90s for at least my grade. 

Lauran: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I remember learning about, um, all of that, but she would Add in a lot of like music into the class and how Um, like the time period and how, like, the different events going on in the world impacted music, um, during that time.

So we studied a lot of, like, Credence Clearwater Revival and, 

Jordan: like, yes, yes, so I thought that was 

Lauran: always so cool how she incorporated that. 

Jordan: Yeah. Now, I love I think that's one of my favorite things is, um, look at history through the lens, through art and everything, and how it impacts and just changes our, like, perception of the world.

One of my favorite studies was, they went back in times, and it's almost weird because art will kind of flip its, um, Perspective a little bit. So like if times are like we're kind of going through a depression era and times and everything, art will be really optimistic because people are really sad and they want something to look forward to look 

Lauran: at something happy.

I have no money. 

Jordan: And then when things are really good, a lot of our art is very critical because we have the time to kind of like, hey, like, let's take a moment and kind of look at things. That's always 

Lauran: so interesting. Did you have any like teachers in your life that you feel like Made a huge impact on you, like whether that's, you know, positive or even negative.

Did you have anyone like that? 

Lauren: Yeah, so first of all, Jordan, I had teachers that did the same thing and now I do the same thing. I think it's like a history teacher cliche that you have to play. We didn't start the fire and like analyze it like I'm like, I'm going to do it every year. And the kids are like, what?

But then they always end up liking it. And then we bring in like the fallout boy version. And then we And I was like, you guys were alive for like half of these, and you know, you can even keep going with that, like through, you know, Unfortunate Son, Woodstock, or even all the way to like American Idiot, if you get far enough in the curriculum.

And so I love, um, doing that as well. And because my teachers did that for me, so I was fortunate, Lauren, to your question, I was fortunate enough that almost all of my teachers were really great. And especially in middle school and high school, my history teachers. They were just so cool, and it was the first time I felt like a teacher.

It's always 

Lauran: the history 

Lauren: teachers. Those are the coolest ones. Yeah, it was like, I remember being in that class, and it was like the first time I kind of felt like a teacher treated me like an adult, like, um, you know, like your parents kind of tell you, like, what you should believe, right? You know? And so it was like the first time that, like, someone has ever, you Asked me like a critical question about history and current events.

Like ask your opinion on things and like actually, yeah. That had just, I just had never had that experience before and you know, I was able to have that with most of my teachers. Um, so it was really great and um, so shout out to all of my history teachers in high school and in college. Um, negative though, um, you know, I will say that the negative things that teachers say to their students, like, definitely stay with them, like, you think, like, sometimes it's such an offhanded comment that, you know, they might have made, but, like, it sticks with them.

Like, I am this one teacher. And Oh my gosh. Um, I don't know if I wanna tell. I'll, I'll tell this story. So, okay. , I, I, it was a senior, I was a good student. Okay. But like, senior year, I probably had some senioritis. Like, now I see this through her lens, who doesn't? Okay. And I can, who doesn't have senioritis?

Does not. Now I like kind of see where she was coming from at the moment. I thought she was so, but like now I see where she's coming from. So I had this class, it was senior year and I had a zero period. So it started at like 6:00 AM. And I'm pretty sure there's like a law that school can't even start.

Wait, I'm sorry. Yeah, that just sounds gross. Was that, was that a six? Yeah. And then a colon zero zero six a. m. Six a. m. Maybe six thirty, but it was definitely six, okay? And you know, I played sports, you know, you're a teenager, like, they're tired, I was tired. And I liked the class, it was an English class, I liked the class.

Yeah, but it was 6 a. m. and she would kind of just read, we had like this anthology book and she would just like read it out loud to us 

Lauran: and 

Lauren: it was like, you know, to her credit, maybe she had like a really relaxing voice, um, You know, but I would fall asleep, um, you know, I 

Jordan: would 

Lauren: fall asleep and like, I wasn't trying to be disrespectful, but like, I, I fell asleep a lot or, or I missed that class a lot.

So for that reason, um, she wasn't super fond of me. And, you know, she would tell me, like, you're not gonna pass the AP, like, with this, like, this is this. And I was like, I think I am, like, I passed all the other ones, but, like, she would always give me, like, you know, ones or twos on my practice ones, and I'm like, I don't, I don't think that is, you know, a one or a two.

Listen. Come on, ma'am. It 

Lauran: is 6 a. m. I'm doing pretty good for 6 a. m. I was 

Jordan: gonna say, I remember when I was in high school, like, I was going to bed at like 1, 2 in the morning. To be up in four hours, that just hurts. That just is painful. I 

Lauran: mean, I even, our school started at 7 30. There weren't any classes before then.

But, I mean, that was even early for me. And I, same, I was staying up late, probably later than I should. And I distinctly remember, like, nodding off in class multiple times, because you're just exhausted all the time when you're in high school. And I, I, but I also had a teacher like that, and, and no hate to this teacher, because she, like, she was actually one of my favorite teachers, but it was a comment that stuck with me the same as yours did, with, like, her telling you you weren't gonna pass.

Like, so I took, um, honors English. All through high school, um, you know, language arts is my strong suit. So I, you know, I thought I did really well in this class. And then at the end of the year, like, we had to do this kind of exam that was like a AP entrance exam kind of thing. So we had to, you know, I don't even know, do explications and, you know, different writing prompts for this text that we were reading.

And. I remember her telling me that I shouldn't take AP. Because I like to take my time when I write and I, I wouldn't be able to write fast enough when they do like, I guess they did like explications every Friday or whatever. So like that just like crushed my little soul because I'm such a perfectionist and I just, I want to do my best and I, I really loved English.

So like to be like, Denied like I was so broken. I was like, what do you mean? I can't do AP and I didn't I ended up taking honors But like that's stuck with me to this day. I was just like I do like to take my time when I write 

Jordan: I feel bad because I was the opposite like 

Lauran: I know you're a genius. 

Jordan: I was a good I I ended up being like One of like the top students in my class and everything, but my senior year, like senioritis hit hard.

I was, I was done. I was checked out. It is like 

Lauran: an every six year thing, because didn't that happen in sixth grade too? 

Jordan: Yeah, it must be. It was timed, like I'm just done, 

Lauran: um, 

Jordan: checked out senior year of college, like I'm just done. No, but I had, for me, it was one of my math teachers. He was just, He's just a jerk and I don't like him still when I look back, but like, I 

Lauran: think I know this story.

Is this the story you're going to tell? Are you telling the story? 

Jordan: The two question test? Okay. Yes. Oh my gosh. Um, so what ended up happening was. He was just like, we butted heads constantly because I took this class pass or fail, and I was just not trying. I was just barely doing the work. It was essentially a game with me and my one buddy.

I was in the class with the, like, how little work we can do and just get across that, like, I think it was like 70 percent line you had to get for the past grade. Wait, 

Lauran: you said it was pass, fail? Yeah, it was pass, fail. Okay, 

Jordan: okay. So, the one day, it was like, the first test after we did this big lesson about, like, introducing, like, limits and everything, because I was in, like, the, like, advanced mathematics stuff, and he decided it was a good idea to essentially have a, like, this hundred point test, two questions.

Lauran: Wait, it was I don't think I remember that detail. It was a hundred points. It 

Jordan: was a hundred point test because essentially what it was was 50 points per question. Yeah, 50 points per question. 

Lauren: Okay, I'm not the best at math, Jordan, but if you're looking for a 70, that means you would have to get them both right to pass.

Jordan: But see, that nine weeks I had been doing well enough, so I was like, I can throw this test away and still get out with my past grade. You could throw 

Lauran: away a hundred points. I 

Jordan: could, well, 50 points is what I threw away. Okay, 

Lauran: so you did one question and then said, like, forget it to the second one. 

Jordan: I did the mathematic to like, it was a limit question.

You had to do, like, the proof for the limit and everything. The limit does not exist. Did you write 

Theme: the limit 

Jordan: does not exist? No. See, what I did though was, what was the definition of a limit? And I thought I'd be edgy and I'd quote Fight Club. And I was like, the first rule of limits is we do not talk about limits.

The second rule of limits is we do not talk about limits. And I thought it was hilarious. And you know what? To his credit, I was probably not the first, like, wannabe rebel student to do that. And he was probably so tired of it by the end of the day. He ended up like, he just wrote this massive paragraph on my test, essentially like, you should be embarrassed of yourself, this is ridiculous, like you need to try harder, if you would put this much effort into being like, Like, doing your homework instead of trying to be creative, like, you'd go so far, and I think he wanted to shame me, and instead, I was just like, yo, check out this note, and just this test passed around the entire class, and everybody thought it was funny.

And see his little like lesson ended up blowing up in his face because then everyone was like, Oh, look at Jordan. He's a clown. 

Lauran: Wow. My husband, everyone, A plus to you. would have probably 

Lauren: not given you credit, but I would probably write like, LOL. 

Lauran: Same. I thought, I think I would have given credit for the joke.

Half credit. Yeah. Yeah. You would have got half credit for the joke, but. Yeah. It seems like this guy didn't have a sense of humor. 

Jordan: Oh, he did not, no. He, he cared more about, uh, the soccer team. Oh. He mainly checked out and wanted to be friends with all the soccer players, so. And unfortunately, I didn't play soccer, so.

Lauran: Well, yeah, no, I was not an athlete in, in terms of like, Athletics that people at, like, high schools generally care much about. Yes. Like, I did cheerleading, but that was about it at the high school level. Um, so, how did college go for you then? Was it any different or was it, like, kind of similar? 

Lauren: Well, you know, I did end up passing the English AP and I majored in journalism.

Look at you! So, we were off to a great start. start. Um, but yeah, I majored in journalism and media studies, and I loved all of my professors and even had the chance to kind of, after I like, blew up on social media a little bit, some of them found me or again, and we kind of like, Reconnected and it was so cool because my major was media studies, new media studies, and this was in like 2010, 2011, 2012, so like social media algorithms were new, Instagram was new, so I like took classes about Instagram, about how to go, like our final was like how to go viral, like we had like a test about memes and like advertising and so like I, I have a little bit of an advantage because I, like, my whole education was about this stuff before, like, the term influencer, like, even existed and they just, like, believed in me so much and, you know, I ended up As they 

Lauran: should.

Lauren: Yeah, I was on the, um, the features editor of the newspaper and it was a great experience of go Aztec, San Diego State, JMS department, but yeah, for me, my, like, dark era was kind of like When I was out of college and I didn't really have teachers anymore like to encourage me and like tell me what to do Like I feel like people don't talk about that like cuz after high school Um, you know what you're supposed to do like go to college and I did that and then I graduated college And I just I didn't have like the structure of like going to class like there wasn't like grades anymore it's just kind of like okay you're on your own yeah like you know do whatever you want i think that is sort of when i floundered i was like am i like you know talented like can i am am i good on camera do i have like yes any writing ability like but like yes what are you like but there's there wasn't someone like encouraging or telling me what to do so you know i think i kind of like flounder a little bit and like let That dream, like, you know, I always kind of wanted to be on TV or be like a newscaster or like something, right?

Which you would be amazing at. I like, just your, your 

Lauran: presence, but seriously, I'm not, I'm not just like, you know. I didn't 

Lauren: have you. I didn't know you in 2012. And, you know, but at that time, everybody was saying, where have you been all my life? Journalism is dead. Journalism is dead, right? Like that was like the cool thing to like say, and I was like, okay, cool.

You know, so I had my first like writing job at a college and, you know, when social media came back, like, as into what it is now, I was like, maybe I should try that. And again, like, Most people were like, what is that? Like, that's weird. Like, no one was really supportive that I knew. That was my age, like, in my family.

Like, nobody, I guess they weren't, like, unsupported, but they just, like, 

Lauran: didn't understand. I go through the same exact thing. Like, I have questions about, like, how you got into teaching and stuff, because I always love hearing those stories. Like, my own co teacher started in law. And then ended up an elementary school teacher.

So I love hearing like the story of like, how did you go from this to that? Um, but before we get there, I, I totally a hundred percent validate your feelings in that because I get that same exact feeling. Like when I, like when Instagram and all that became, I was graduating high school and I was not on social media at all.

Like you couldn't find me on a Google map. Like I was not. Not present on the internet, so, uh, when I started, you know, making TikToks and stuff and it actually blew up, I, you know, I just had to kind of, you know, Get used to it. I wasn't trained to deal with any of that. And I wasn't like, you know, an expert like you are and, you know, went to college for all this.

But it was, it was a weird way, like a weird thing describing to my family and my friends and my co workers, like what I was doing. And I agree, some of them were not supportive and were not like, they didn't understand like what I was really doing. And even I think. To this day, like, my family kind of gets it now, but even not to the, like, the extent that I would, uh, I would think they would, like, they still kind of just, it doesn't, It doesn't compute, almost, like, the numbers aren't real, the videos are just silly, like, it kind of feels like that sometimes, so like, I just want you to know, I think your content's awesome, you clearly know what you're doing, because a lot of people love your content, um, but I just, I want to hear, how did you get from journalism To history teacher.

Lauren: Yeah, well, so, what happened was, you know, I was working at, like, a, kind of a journalism job, and I was, like, 

Theme: mostly, 

Lauren: like, writing, like, it was, like, an online travel website, and You know, I had applied, like, for some, like, news, like, positions and things like that, but I just wasn't really getting anything, honestly, and then I got married, and I moved, and I think I was using that as an excuse.

I was like, oh, well, like, I don't know anyone in this city, so, like, I'm not gonna get a job in that, but I think I was just kind of afraid to try. Because I had never really, like, failed at anything before, so I think I was, like, using that as an excuse, because there's definitely, like, I have so many of my friends from college that totally, like, did make it, and so it would have been possible, but I, I didn't want to, like, I tried acting like it was something, like, that was impossible.

Um, even though it wasn't. Um, so, but I was like, okay, well, I really love, you know, storytelling and, you know, journalism was my major, but history was my minor. And so I started, um, my husband's mom was a principal secretary and we had just gotten married. I moved cities, so I'd quit my journalism job. I didn't have a job.

So she was like, why don't you just sub, you know, for like, while you're, you know, just as like a way to make extra money. And I was like, okay. And so I really liked it and I subbed, I did all different grade levels and I loved just history and I realized I had like the ability to explain it in a way that the kids could understand and make it interesting.

Because I thought about teaching English for a while because it's maybe more related to

Like, grammar is super exciting. Yeah, listen, grammar, grammar's not sexy. It's not fun to teach grammar. Wait, you guys don't 

Jordan: think semi colons are cool? Like, what about the Oxford comma? 

Lauren: Literature, absolutely. But like, you know, all of the, yeah. So I was like, let's, let's just try history. And I ended up, you know, at that point, this was like pre COVID.

Um, there was, in California, around the world, there's a massive teacher shortage, so I was able to get a job before, like, on an emergency credential, like, even while I hadn't finished my credential program yet, I was, like, in the middle of it, and I got a job, and I just loved it. Like, day one, I was, like, I wanted, this is it, like, I, I love this, I'm having so much fun, I loved that job so much more than any other journalism job that I'd ever had when I was younger.

I felt like I was so tired. My body was so tired, but my mind, it was like so energized, and I was like, I can, I can, it was, I can do this. I was like, I can do it. Like, they say you don't know if you can teach until you do it. Like, you can go to all, read all the books, but like, you really don't know until, like, the show starts.

If you can do it. Oh, yeah. And I didn't know. I was like, oh. Um, but I, I loved it. See, but now you get to per, you 

Lauran: get to perform for like all of your students every day. So like Yeah. Even though you wanted to be on like TV and stuff, you're still performing. 

Jordan: I was gonna say, I might be the exception to that rule though.

It's the connection. 

Lauren: Yeah. And then, yeah, it's the connection that I had with them and that it was so, so special and I did not. Go into social media to try and leave teaching. I know some people do that, like more power to them, but like, that is not, like, what I wanted to do. I love teaching so much that I just kind of combined, like, the two skills that I had when, you know, TikTok and Reels started coming out at the, you know, my teacher, my kids were the ones who, like, told me about it and encouraged me to do it.

And so, kind of just found my way back. 

Lauran: That's awesome. Yeah, I'm the same way. I, like, I do know, you know, in more power to them, you know, my, all my other social media friends that have taken off and maybe have chosen to leave the profession, more power to you. Do what makes you happy. Um, I, I agree, though. I feel like I would really miss seeing you.

And that is my job. Like, I, uh, I, in the summer, like I might be happy for like June, and then I'm bored out of my mind. Dunno, knowing what to do. Cause I'm like, I wanna be planning stuff and making things for my classroom and reading books and it's just like, you miss it. And it's, uh. Yeah, I feel like if I left for social media, I would really miss it too.

So, I, I'm with you on that point. And believe it or not, you know, I know some people are very 50 50 on this, but I truly do think that, you know, things like that happen for a reason and we all end up where we're supposed to be. Um, you know, whether the road to get you there was bumpy or nice and smooth, like, we're all gonna end up where we're supposed to be in life, and I'm glad that you found the career that, like, lets you feel fulfilled and allows you to kind of mix your two passions.

Which is so rare, and I think is just amazing for you, um, but yeah, that is incredible, so thank you so much for that awesome story and those amazing conversations, but we're gonna take a quick break, and then we're gonna come back and play a super fun game. 

Jordan: Oh man! Haha!

And welcome back. Oh, now it's time to have some fun and play a game. So Lauren, why don't you explain to everybody what we're going to be doing? I'm ready 

Lauran: to embarrass you. 

Jordan: Embarrass. Oh, I do that every day. 

Lauran: Stop. Okay, so we are going to play. Are you smarter than ai? 

Lauren: Oh my goodness. So am I playing against Jordan?

Theme: Yes. Yeah. . Oh no, 

Lauran: we're pit Oh, do not. Teacher against student because Jordan has never been a teacher. Yeah. So we're gonna see, we're gonna test our knowledge. Um, we asked, 

Jordan: I was gonna say. I'm more scared because, like, you both are still teaching in the classrooms. I'm a creative director. I just make things look pretty all day long.

I don't know anything anymore. 

Lauran: Well, you do have a little bit of leeway because we did have a A variety of questions, so, you know, we couldn't give Lauren all the advantage of making them all history because then she'd just crush you. 

Jordan: I still think she has the advantage, but okay, I think that's fine. Oh 

Lauren: my goodness.

Lauran: Okay, so we asked So we asked ChatGPT to come up with different questions from every grade level, from kindergarten all the way through twelfth grade. Oh, 

Jordan: sixth grade is going to be a struggle bus. Wasn't really there for that one. 

Lauran: So, um, we're going to go back and forth. I'm going to let our guest start.

Okay. Um, so Lauren, your first question is kindergarten question. Comes after 

Jordan: 4. Lauren, it's 6. I'm telling you, it's 6. 

Lauren: After 4, well, I do know that 4 plus 4 is 8, um, but I do think the number that comes after 4, Lauren, is 5. Ding ding ding 

Lauran: ding 

Lauren: ding! 

Lauran: That is one point to 

Lauren. 

Jordan: I saw you blinking it. You were like Morse coding it over there.

I totally saw that. You saw 

Lauran: nothing. Anyway, moving on, Jordan. 

Jordan: Oh, that's me. 

Lauran: First grade question. 

Jordan: Okay. 

Lauran: What color do you get when you mix red and blue? 

Jordan: Okay, I'm doing it in my mind. I'm taking my paintbrush with red, taking my paintbrush with blue. Swirl them together here. What do I get? 

Lauran: Remember primary art class.

Jordan: Oh no. Is it, is it purple? Ding 

Lauran: ding ding! Point to Jordan! Alright, we've got a tie so far. Ooh, I think this is not fair, but also totally fair because it's a history question. Lauren, second grade. What number president Was Abraham Lincoln Wait, that's like a second grade question? Apparently. 

Jordan: Um, 16. Wow. 

Lauran: Wow.

Did you know that? 

Jordan: No, I did not. 

Lauran: I feel like that one's common. I 

Jordan: didn't know he was a 16th. I was, if, if I was going to guess, I was totally guessing 15. So I was at least close. Well, you weren't that far. 

Lauran: You weren't that far off. 

Jordan: I don't memorize like their numbers. I just know, oh yeah, they were a president.

Yeah, 

Lauran: but there are certain presidents that you, you do memorize their numbers. Yeah. 44. 

Jordan: Berio. 

Lauran: Yeah, there you go. 44. Okay, uh, Jordan. 

Jordan: Okay. Third 

Lauran: grade. 

Jordan: Oh no. 

Lauran: What is a noun? 

Jordan: It's a person, place, or thing, right? 

Lauran: Wrong. Wait, what? What? 

I'm kidding. I'm kidding. No! I was gonna say, hold 

Jordan: on, wait a minute. 

Lauran: No, I'm totally kidding.

Yeah, you got that right. I was like, wait. Listen, these are the softball questions. Wait until we get to 12th grade, okay? 

Jordan: Oh gosh. You just wait. 12th grade, no. 

Lauran: Okay, Lauren. Lauren? Lauren? Fourth grade question. What is the perimeter of a rectangle with sides 4 and 6 units in length? She's like, where's my pen and paper?

6, 

Lauren: 7, 8, 9, 10, 10, 20. Ding, ding, ding. That is correct. 

Jordan: Man, should have made it like a triangle. That would have been so much harder. 

Lauran: What's the perimeter of a triangle? Well, that wouldn't have been harder. That's one less side. That's one less side. 

Jordan: What's the next question? 

Lauran: He's like, I meant to make that a challenging question.

Ooh, my grade level, Jordan. 

Jordan: Okay. 

Lauran: Fifth grade. Let's 

Jordan: make everyone proud. 

Lauran: Can you name the layers of the earth? 

Jordan: Ew.

Okay. 

Lauren: Good luck. 

Jordan: We have the earth. 

Lauren: How many are there? 

Jordan: Oh, do I get a hint? Can I phone a friend? Sure. How many layers of the earth are there? 

Lauran: There are four. 

Jordan: There are four, okay. Okay, so let's, um, there's the crust. 

Lauran: Correct. 

Jordan: There's the mantle. 

Lauran: Correct. 

Jordan: Is it the outer core? 

Lauran: Yes. 

Jordan: And inner core. Oh my gosh. That 

Lauran: was a tough one.

In all honesty, that I don't even know if that is like part of our fifth grade standards. I was looking at that one earlier. 

Jordan: Ohio. We're lacking. 

Lauren: No, 

Lauran: because I only know, 

Lauren: I only know that from the movie, The Core, to be honest. 

Lauran: I've never seen that. Oh my 

Jordan: gosh. That's a throwback. In 

Lauran: Ohio. So in fifth grade, our standards For science and like in terms of like the earth are just, it's about the solar system and all celestial bodies in our universe.

So we learn about like, you know, comets, asteroids, moons, stars, blah, blah, blah. We don't go in depth, like we talk about different planets, atmospheres, numbers of moons and things like that, but we don't go in depth about the layers of the planets. 

Jordan: I'm kind of like, I think it's weird because I remember learning the layers of the earth in like fourth grade.

I 

Lauren: learned it. I colored a graph. I remember like coloring. Something, I think, yeah, there was something going on there. 

Lauran: I, maybe I need to step up my game, man. I guess I gotta. Start 

Jordan: teaching these kids about the Yeah. Because they're totally going to use that in the future. Apparently, I 

Lauran: know. Now I'm going to go print out a picture, like a diagram of the Earth's layers and be like, alright kids, we gotta color this.

Alright, Lauren, sixth grade question, what is The main gas in the Earth's atmosphere. Bonus points if you can tell me how much there is. Oh my gosh. 

Lauren: Oxygen? 

Lauran: Hydrogen? 

Lauren: Is 

Jordan: it 

Lauren: one of 

Lauran: those? Actually, I would have thought the same thing. Wait, 

Jordan: isn't it nitrogen? 

Lauran: It's nitrogen. And it's 

Jordan: 80%, isn't it? 

Lauran: Wrong! 78%. 

Lauren: Oh, that's close enough.

No, I can't 

Lauran: give him the point 

for that. 

He was 

Lauren: off by 2%. You're like that math teacher that wouldn't give him the point. Yeah, 

Lauran: exactly. For my 

Lauren: joke. 

Lauran: No, but yeah, it's nitrogen. I didn't know that. That's something new. 

Lauren: I feel like I did, but obviously I didn't. So 

Lauran: nah, I definitely did 

Jordan: not. The student has now become the teacher.

Lauran: There you go. Wait, so do you get the point? 

Theme: I 

Lauren: don't know. Is it like a, is it I get it wrong, do they get a chance? Is that? I think, 

Lauran: I think it is. I think it's a steal situation because if he gets one wrong, then maybe you'll get it and you can steal. 

Lauren: Okay. 

Lauran: I like it. Okay. I think either way he's, 

Lauren: I think either way he's up, so.

Okay, 

Lauran: wait. So that puts you at one, two, three points. And Jordan at one, two, three, four points. So three to four. 

Jordan: Oh, neck and neck. For the next deal. Okay. So 

Lauran: we can still make a comeback on the board. Yeah, 

Jordan: but we're getting into those hard questions here, 

Lauran: so. Oh, this would have been perfect for Lauren. I know.

Jordan, seventh grade, I feel like this is not a seventh grade question, but seventh grade. 

Jordan: Okay. 

Lauran: What are the three branches of the U. S. government? That's easy. 

Jordan: Legislative. Executive. Judicial. 

Lauran: Correct! Alright, so we're down to, what, 5 3? I 

Jordan: think so. 5 

Lauran: 3. Alright, uh, Lauren, 8th grade question. What is Newton's first law of motion?

Lauren: Okay, first of all, I did know the three branches of government, so I'm annoyed. Why do I keep getting science questions? I am clearly not I was like, I shouldn't have 

Lauran: started with, I was trying to be polite and let the guest start, but I should have got the opposite. He has a 

Lauren: lot of laws. I'm like, I don't know.

He does. Okay, the first one. It was his first one. Is it, is it like objects in motion tend to stay in motion? Is that it? What's the other half? 

Theme: Yes. 

Lauren: Use one more half. Um, like every action has an equal opposite reaction, is that it? Oh, that's a different 

Lauran: one. That's a different one. How many are there? There's a lot, but you got, isn't it three?

Jordan: Yeah, history's lost. 

Lauran: But, okay, so you got part of it. An object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an external force. An object at 

Lauren: rest tends to stay at rest. Oh, I have a joke. I have a joke. Are you guys, it's kind of related to that. Yes, I want the joke. What happens, it was more like a riddle.

What happens when an un object Moveable object meets an unstoppable object. 

Jordan: I don't know, what? 

Lauren: The unthinkable.

Lauran: I like that. I'm going to steal that one because I teach forces in motion in fifth grade and we teach Newton's laws. Oh, gosh. So, I'm going to steal that one. Okay, I think I got half credit. No, I'm giving you full credit for that one. 

Lauren: But you wouldn't give him full credit for 80%? Nope. 

Jordan: Oh well. Yeah, that, that makes sense, so that tracks.

Lauran: Girl power, that's right. Lauren's united. Okay, ninth grade question, Jordan. 

Jordan: All right. 

Lauran: What is a sonnet? Good luck. 

Jordan: Wait, okay, so I have, there's a 

Lauran: Name the last time you read a sonnet. It's been a hot minute. Hasn't it? 

Jordan: Sonnet. Sonnet. I'm gonna start 

Lauran: playing the Jeopardy theme song. 

Jordan: Sonnet. Is a blue hedgehog that runs really fast.

Lauran: Uh, no. And his name I, that you are mistaking that is Billy 

Jordan: Shakespeare. 

Lauran: I think you're uh, mistaking that for Sonic. 

Jordan: Oh, 

Lauran: Sonic, 

Jordan: ah, shoot. . I knew that. I knew I got something mixed up. 

Lauran: Sonic 

Jordan: is, wait. Oh wait, I'm sorry. I gonna say I sorry. 

Lauren: You have an opportunity to steal. Okay. Isn't it like a short poem? Okay.

Does that in a certain, like, I am bit perter like, 

Lauran: Ooh, 

Lauren: it's like, like like four something. Like there's like a. 

Lauran: Oh, you're so close. Do you know what I mean? Yes, I do know what you mean, and I'm giving you the point. 

Lauren: I bet this was in the anthology that that teacher was trying to read to me when I was asleep.

Lauran: Well, maybe if you would've 

Jordan: stayed asleep, you would know what a sonnet is. I was gonna say, hold on. That is half point territory. That is not full credit. 

Lauran: It's gonna be a full point. I make the rules here. Okay, a sonnet is a 14 line poem. This game is under 

Jordan: protest. 

Lauran: Written in iambic band iambic pentameter.

I always say that wrong. Often with a specific rhyme scheme. I think I got it. Yeah, I think you got it. You had, you even said, isn't it something with four? Yeah, you were right. 14, 14 line poem. Iambic, and she even said iambic pentameter. So I'm gonna give her that. That's a tricky word. Oh, here we go, Lauren.

Tenth grade question, if I can get the answer right. What is, sorry, what was the Magna Carta? 

Lauren: Okay, the Magna Carta was a document that King John of England had to sign. In response to him persecuting the nobility and it is significant because it was the first time the power of the king had been limited and it said that everybody is equal under the law.

Lauran: I think that deserves like five points. Wait, she's getting 

Theme: bonus credit 

Lauran: now? That was an amazing answer. I'm sorry, sir. You told me that a perimeter of a triangle 

Lauren: would be hard. It's also Latin for great charter. 

Lauran: Okay. 

Jordan: She's coming with like all the receipts on this one. Yeah, she gets five points on that.

She knows her content. All 

Lauran: right. Okay. You're getting the five points there. So you're, I think you're up to like 11 points. 

Jordan: How many do I got? I 

Lauran: think you got like six. Seven, maybe. All right, Jordan, 11th grade, we're getting down to the wire, can you, if you can give an amazing answer, maybe you can get bonus points.

Jordan: Oh boy. 

Lauran: Okay, 11th grade. 

Jordan: What is 

Lauran: the function of the mitochondria? 

Jordan: It is the mother fluffin powerhouse of the cell. 

Lauran: What does it do? 

Jordan: The powerhouse of the cell. The powerhouse of the cell. What does it 

Lauren: do? Do you only know that from the meme, or, I only know that from the meme. Wait, what meme? There's like a meme that says like, oh, I'd never learn my taxes, but you know, I know that the Monocardio powerhouse 

Jordan: of the cell.

Lauran: I have not seen this 

Jordan: meme. No, if, oh, let's see here if I could get this right. 

Lauran: Oh my gosh. It's just tell me what a powerhouse does. 

Jordan: Gives energy to the cell. Okay, thank you! Energy. One of my extra points. Eh. You get denied extra points! 

Lauran: You gave me the exact answer. She gave me an entire anthology. 

Jordan: So there's a little cell floating through your bloodstream.

Actually. Fine, you 

Lauran: get two points. Yes! I'll take my two points and go 

Jordan: home. And 

Lauran: Lauren's at 11. 

Jordan: That's okay. I did better than I thought. 

Lauran: Yeah, you did two, you did okay. Uh, okay, Lauren, I'm so sorry for this last question, but I hope you're a math whiz. 12th grade! What is the derivative? Oh, 

Jordan: man. 

Lauran: Is it sign X?

Jordan: The sign of X? 

Lauren: Sign? 

Jordan: Yeah. 

Lauren: Parenthesis X. Isn't it like opposite over hypotenuse or something? Sure. I have no idea and I got a, so before I, in my other class that was at 6am the year before it was math and I actually failed that class. And it was algebra 2 and I had to retake it and I teach high school and when my, I have, my kids are so smart when they're like doing their math homework and I'm, they're like, can I work on this?

I'm like, sure. And then they're like, can you help me? I'm like, no, that is all you. 

Lauran: Listen, I, I'm just going to say it. I think we're twins separated at birth because same. I also, uh, began my 11th grade year. Failing algebra too, and I had to get moved into integrated algebra and geometry in like, October. 

Lauren: I couldn't take statistics, I had to like, be in this weird like, low level, lower level math class that like, didn't even count, and I know!

And I had to retake it with all the kids younger than me, and it was so embarrassing. So, what is, do you, does Jordan know what this, what is it? 

Jordan: It's not one over the cosine of x, is it? 

Lauran: It is cosine x. Okay. That, 

Jordan: that counts. 

Lauran: He got it. I will give it. Close. I was gonna 

Jordan: say, I couldn't remember if you flip it.

I'm gonna give 

Lauran: it cause at least your answer was close. I would have been like, Three? I don't 

Jordan: know. Yeah, I couldn't remember if it was when it becomes a fraction because there's there's another thing too it's not derivatives but like maybe it's like the tangent of x is equal to like one over the cosine of x.

Is that trig? Yeah, it's all trigonometry. Yeah, no thanks. It's how um it's how you find like Lengths and widths of triangles when you have only a certain amount of Yeah, not perimeters. 

Lauren: A tangent is like a line like coming off of a circle and that's why they say like you're going off on a tangent when you start talking like you're like Oh, that makes sense.

You're off the grid, you know? Like, you've lost the function, I don't know. 

Lauran: No, I had that same experience, I remember failing that class, getting booted over to the other class, and then, but like, I wasn't like, I wasn't failing that class because I didn't understand math, I really was just like struggling with that teacher and how she taught.

I even stayed after school for like tutoring and stuff and I would, like, I had her sit next to me and teach me how to do whatever it was we were doing and then I would do that exact thing on the test and get it wrong and I was like, wait a minute, something doesn't compute here. But anyway, so I got moved into that class and I did better.

Yeah. 

Lauren: I retook it. No shame in my tutoring game. The new teacher gave me, the new teacher gave me a B. I think it just kind of felt bad for me. Yeah. Yeah. 

Lauran: I, I took, um, so I took the IAG class my 11th grade year, and then I took, I took Algebra II my senior year, and I was in a classroom full of a bunch of sophomores, so I felt stupid, because I was the oldest, almost one of the oldest ones in the class, it was like me and two other people, So I felt like, you know, out of place, and I, I got an A in that class, but I just needed the extra year of practice.

I 

Jordan: feel like such a nerd. When I was in college, I took calculus for fun, and it broke the curve, so there was no curve in the class, and I felt so bad because, like, everyone hated me. 

Lauren: I went over at your professor and I found the easiest possible math class that you could take, because I only had to take one, as a journalism major, I only had to take one, and I was like, what is the easiest class, I don't care what time or place it is, I will sign up for that class, I will wait and sign up for that class, and that was the last math class I ever took.

Lauran: Yeah, for us, like, when you, because I went straight into education, so, for elementary, we had to take, I didn't have to take a math class, like, where I was learning the math, I had to take a math class, Um, on how to teach math to children. So it was I mean, it was interesting, but I had this teacher who, her voice was so soft, and she would talk like this, and she would say, if you want to show kids how to subtract cookies on a plate, you could actually bring cookies on a plate, and I, like, she talked like that the whole class, so I was, like, nodding off in her class, too, because it was so, like, calming.

I remember we had to learn, it was called base 4, so like how kids learn base 10, it's like, you know, 1, makes a group of 10, 10 of those make 100, that's base 10. We had to learn base 4, and it was supposed to mimic how it feels for children to learn base 10 math, and man did it mimic that because it was really confusing.

Lauren, I don't know 

Lauren: how you teach all of the subjects, and like, You, you just are so inspiring. You're also like one of the first teachers I ever kind of like found on TikTok too and just like, I don't know, because I, I subbed, like I said, and I was doing math on the board and the kids were like in fourth or fifth grade.

They were like yelling at me. They're like, no, make a 10, make a 10. I'm like, what are you talking about? Just like carry over the move, like X out the number. It was like 45 minus 12 or something. And they were like, telling me I was doing it wrong, and I was like, oh, okay, I, like, I give up, and I just had like, a kid go up there and do it, and I was like, I guess, I guess just do that, cause they, they changed it, so, power to you, cause I, I don't know how to do that.

Lauran: Okay. Well, first of all, you're so sweet. Thank you. But anywho, I, I just want to let you know you're not alone in that because I teach fifth grade for a living and the first ever year that I had to teach fifth grade, I cried in my car on the way to work every day because I had, I had been teaching second grade and got moved in the middle of the school year to fifth grade.

So the math coach would come in my room every day to help teach math because I had no idea what I was doing. And on the days where she would email me and be like, Hey, I'm sorry, my kid is sick. I have to stay home. I won't be in class today. Literal tears on the way to work. Because I was like, I have to teach math and I don't know what to do.

So you're not alone. I, I fumbled through it. And now after years of practice, I finally actually know how to do it. But like, Yeah, and hopefully, you know, why are 

Lauren: teachers always crying in our car? It's our safe space. It's a thing. It's, it's really a thing. Every teacher I talk to, I'm like, hey, how many times did you cry in your car your first year?

And many. 

Lauran: Yep. Many, many, many times. And, you know, to all our new teacher friends out there, uh, we're in, at least I am, into my ninth year teaching, and there are still days that I cry in my car, just cause, you know? Sometimes you just need a good cry. Other days you need a good disassociation where you just stare off into the sunset and not have any sounds at all.

Lauren: You know what? It's okay to cry in your car, but just make sure you're also driving away at contract time. 

Lauran: Yes. Yes. Well, anyway, thank you, Lauren, so much for joining us. I was, this was so much fun. I'm so glad we had you on as our first guest. Um, but do you, before you go, do you have any like cool projects or anything that you can share with our viewers?

Lauren: Thank you so much for having me. I love this game and it's so easy. I feel like I could have like a dinner party and do something like this. So what a great idea. And you guys have, you know, such a family. You guys have such a great connection in chemistry. I feel like we were just hanging out. So I love that.

Yes, I actually have one project that I did over the summer and it's coming out very soon. And it is available. I haven't talked about on social media at all, but it is out. So. Most people know me as a Gen Z history teacher. Um, the number one question I get is like, do you have resources that go along with this?

Do you have a curriculum that goes along with this? You know, I'm a homeschool parent or I would love to use this in my class. So if you go to LaurenCella. com, just my name, LaurenCella. com, I have resources. There's timelines, translations, um, activity packs that go with, um, all 20 of my Gen Z history videos.

So they're all on YouTube. They're incredible 

Lauran: and you need to check them out. She obviously is, obviously she just gave us the entire Magna Carta description. She knows what she's talking about. I was gonna say, if 

Jordan: there's anyone you could trust to teach your kids history, it's Lore. Yeah, 

Lauran: so definitely go and check that out because it's an invaluable resource, which I, that's so awesome that you created that for people to go along with your videos.

So where can we find you on social media? 

Lauren: So you can find me most days if I'm not too tired, I'll pop up on Instagram and TikTok. So my handle on Instagram is just my name, LaurenCella, and then on TikTok that was taken, so it's LaurenCella92. I know it's confusing because I'm the Gen Z history teacher, but I'm actually a little bit older than that, I was born in 92.

So LaurenCella92 is my handle on TikTok. 

Lauran: Hey, that's okay. We're all like 92, 93, 94. 

Lauren: We have the same life. We are the same person. 

Lauran: We are. We are. I'm actually kind of jealous of Mrs. Miller for getting to grow up with you because that's really freaking cool. She grew up with Andy. Yes. They went to like middle school together.

Oh my gosh. That's so cool. And then have known each other their whole lives. And now they're both famous TikTok teachers. 

Jordan: Are they, you're both out in California too, right? 

Lauren: Well, we, like, we didn't just know each other, like, we were like very close friends, like best friends in middle school and high school and then went to college and now we both live in the same city again and she was the only one I knew who was on TikTok cause she got on there like before anybody.

So she was like not, she's always been like that. She's fearless. And she's the head of 

Lauran: the game. And 

Lauren: she was the one who like was the only one who was like in my real life, but it was like my age, my peer that knew what I was doing and had advice to give me and encourage me. And the only reason I even started to gain any traction was because she put me in one of her like, whatever day with all of like the famous teachers.

And I was like, Oh my gosh, like I'm in a video with all of these famous teachers. This is so cool. So we love Mrs. Miller. 

Lauran: Yeah, she's a real one. I love her. She was one of my first, like, TikTok teacher friends that I made also, so. 

Lauren: And she is way more famous than me. I can, like, we were at VidCon, and in our little group.

Oh, everyone knows the sticker lady. By far, like, I was like, sure, I'll just take the picture. Like, zero people came up to me. This is so sad. Andy was like, you should bring stickers, Lauren, because like, so many people are gonna come up to you and like, know who you are, and I, I had them. I don't know if you know this, Lauren, I had them in my backpack, like, just in case anybody came up to me, but nobody did, and they were, but, but to her, she was like, signing autographs, taking pictures, like, so she is so famous, and so like, I just feel cool, like, knowing her and Lauren.

She is, yeah, she is amazing. I'm like second hand famous. For sticker videos. 

Lauran: You are not, you are famous in your own right. I was gonna say, if 

Jordan: you're second hand famous, like, I'm tertiary, like, tertiary ly famous, like, 

Lauren: I don't have a social media. Okay, Jordan, we know you're good at math, you got the math question.

Lauran: He's got the vocab question. Yeah, I got it. No, but I, no, thank you so much for coming on our show and thank you for being such a kind human. Like, I really enjoyed meeting you this summer and I can't wait to see you guys again soon. I know you live on the other side of the country, but I mean, anytime you guys want to come to Ohio, you're going to open spare room upstairs, so.

Lauren: Amazing. 

Lauran: All right, guys, we will see you in just a minute. I am so happy that Lauren was our first guest. 

Jordan: I know she, she did just such a great job. Um, I know, like, the one thing that stuck to me was that, like, fear of failure. And, you know, we don't always, like, overcome, like, instantly in that moment. Like she said, like, she moved to that city and just kind of used that as, like, Kind of change career paths, but it's funny how 

Lauran: we don't talk about that enough.

Really? 

Jordan: Because 

Lauran: I mean, I, I felt that. Do you remember when I first graduated college and I felt lost because I couldn't get a job anywhere? Like I, I didn't know what to do with myself because just like she said, like, I was so used to the structure of going to college, going to class and all that. And now you're just like an adult.

Jordan: So I thought that 

Lauran: was really like, Vulnerable of her to share. 

Jordan: Yeah, because I was gonna say even like outside of, so like, it seemed like you guys is like your moment of that first, like, oh my gosh, I'm an adult, no one's here is holding my hand was like after college. I, for me, it was, I was still in college and because my first major was Nursing.

I was going to be Nurse Woolley and I remember I changed 

Lauran: majors a lot. 

Jordan: Yeah. I changed majors a couple of times, but that was my first major. And I remember like I hit a wall in one of the classes. I was like, I don't know if I want to do this anymore. And that was like my first, like. I think I'm failing moment and it really isn't a lot that like, I don't know.

I don't know if we were lucky to avoid like failing at younger ages. And then that was like our first big, like, I don't know how to handle like this big. 

Lauran: Yeah. Or that it just feels like so much. Like, like a larger magnitude because there's just more riding on it, I guess. But yeah, I really love that she shared those stories about her life.

And I just love her spouting off all the Gen Z knowledge and all the history knowledge. Like, she's so, she's such an amazing history teacher. 

Jordan: She is. 

Lauran: Anywho, uh, we wanted to share another one of your special bonds that you sent in to us. So, Jordan, take it away. 

Jordan: This one comes from our listener, Cheyenne.

When I was in 6th grade, I was struggling bad with my mental health, and my parents never had time to deal with me as they were first responders. As this teacher and I started to grow a bond, she became like a mom to me. When I was struggling with my self motivation, she was She always made sure I did my work, and most importantly, she made sure I always knew she was there for me.

One day, I was sitting on a beanbag chair and just staring at the clock, and she said it will get better soon, I promise. When I heard that, I started bawling my eyes out because I was so over everything. She proceeded to hug me for five minutes and referred to me, and referred me to a counselor. Little did she know, she saved my life.

Oh my gosh. 

Lauran: I am. Yeah. First of all. Thank you for staying around, because sometimes life is super tough, and it feels like there's no other option, but I'm just proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself for choosing to stay. Um, I'm sure that you have a massive amount of people that are just in your corner, and that are there for you, especially this teacher, because, I mean, For her to have literally saved your life is incredible.

And that just goes to show, again, the kind of impact that we can have on our students. Um, and, and just being a safe space for them, because Some kids don't have somebody at home to go to and talk about, you know, those really intense emotional moments in life about. And for this teacher to like, open her classroom to you and make it known that like, she's there for you and just whenever you need her, I'm here.

Like that It's invaluable and I'm so glad that you had that person in your life, Cheyenne. 

Jordan: It's insane to me when you think about it, just like, just simply just opening a door, what that can do for somebody, just 

Lauran: offering a beanbag, 

Jordan: offering a beanbag, um, just even telling them the words like, it'll get better.

Um, sometimes you don't realize the impact you have on somebody just by. Simply being there it it's crazy i'm so glad you had that person in your life to make such a big difference because a lot of times there there's some kids that don't get that there's some adults that don't get that moment and. It, I'm just really happy you had that moment.

So, 

Lauran: yeah, I hope that everything is going amazing for you, Cheyenne, and I wish you all the best. And I wish your teacher all the best because, you know, she sounds like 

Jordan: an amazing teacher. Yes. 

Lauran: She deserves all the praise for that one. Well, thank you so much for submitting your story, Cheyenne. And if you guys have a story that you would like to share with us, please send your stories to to we're fine at human content dot com.

We would love to read them on the podcast and kind of talk about them and share your special bonds with a teacher, or maybe you're a teacher that had a special bond with one of your students, or even, you know, maybe you have a parent that's a teacher. If you have a sibling that's a teacher, like my whole family, nobody is a teacher except me and my brother, so we share special bonds all the time, because we go through all the teacher stuff together, so that's kind of fun, but, um, that being said, we also want to know how you think our show is going, we love to hear your feedback, so please, please, please share your feedback, whether that's, you know, good, bad, whatever, Everything in between.

We want to read your feedback. We want to read your comments about the show and how you're liking it. What do you like? What do you maybe think we should change? Uh, we're open to all the feedback. 

Jordan: You know 

Lauran: what? 

Jordan: What? What game are we going to play? You know what that is? Feedback. Who are we going to talk to next?

Next, feedback. What dumb joke I'm gonna tell next. You tell me by giving me feedback. And how do we give feedback on this family? 

Lauran: Well, in this family, we give feedback on IG or TikTok at humancontentpods. You can definitely leave some love over there or you can send it to our email, again, we'refine at humancontentpods.

Jordan: So thanks to all of our listeners, um, make sure you leave feedback because that's 

Lauran: what should they leave? 

Jordan: They should leave feedback. 

Lauran: And where should they leave? I'm kidding. Don't forget every week full episodes are available on my YouTube channel, Mrs. Woolley in 5th. That's where you can check out the video episodes in case you want See our beautiful faces every single week.

Jordan: You don't want to see mine. Oh, I want to see your beautiful 

Lauran: face. Eww. 

Jordan: Oh, 

Lauran: stop it! Jordan, you're so mean to yourself. You need to be kinder to yourself. 

Jordan: But who would keep real with me, so. 

Lauran: Oh, I'll be real with you. 

Jordan: Yeah. 

Lauran: Yeah, you keep me in check, I keep you in check. Oh, that sounds good. But I also gotta keep you in check and make sure you know that you're cute and adorable and smart and all the good things.

Jordan: I like you too, , . 

Lauran: If you have a story that you would like to share with us and we can read on the podcast, we would love to hear it. Please send your stories to Hello at We are fine pod.com or contact our team directly at Hello. at wearefinepod. com. 

Jordan: So yeah, thanks for listening. Thanks for sitting around joining us, being a part of the family.

We're your hosts, Lauren and Jordan Woolley. 

Lauran: Special thanks to our guest today, Lauren Chela. Make sure that you guys follow her on Instagram, Lauren Chela, TikTok, laurenchela92. 

Jordan: The executive producers of We're Fine are your beautiful host Lauren Woolley, the gremlin over here is me, Jordan Woolley, and also Aron Korney, Rob Goldman, and Shahnti Brooke.

Lauran: Our editor is Andrew Sims. 

Jordan: Our engineer is Jason Portizo. And 

Lauran: our music is by Omer Ben Zvi. Omer Ben Zvi. 

Jordan: Learn more about our program disclaimer and ethics policy and submission verifications and licensing terms by going to wearefinepod. com or reach out to us at hello at wearefinepod. com with any questions or concerns.

We are fine as a human content production.

Theme: Hey you! I love that shirt you're wearing. And you know what would go great with that shirt? What? A nice big virtual hug. And you can get that by hitting some of these buttons down here. Subscribe, like, comment, we'll give you a big ol virtual hug. 

Lauran: Thank you so much for listening and we will see you guys next Wednesday.

Bye! Bye!