Oklahoma Mom 'Embarrassed' After Her Daughter Checks Out Textbook Once Used By Blake Shelton
An Oklahoma mother was not as excited as her daughter was when the elementary student checked out a textbook from school once used by Blake Shelton.
Shelly Bryan Parker, of Ada, Oklahoma, where Shelton grew up, shared a photo of her daughter Marley, 7, grinning while holding up Look Away (Keys to Reading) that was once held and read by Shelton, 41, in 1982.
Despite Marley being excited that she was learning from the same book that taught a Grammy nominee, her mother was less so, sharing in a Facebook post that she was “embarrassed.”
“Marley is EXCITED that her “new” reader belonged to Blake Shelton, but I am EMBARRASSED!!!!” Parker wrote. “I’m 40 and these people are my age!!!”
She continued, “Thank you to every teacher/parent/support staffer/etc. for fighting for my kids education!!! Don’t give up until education is FULLY FUNDED!!!! #fundOKED #Okwalk4kids #westillloveblake.”
A rep for Shelton did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
In the textbook, Shelton’s name was written in cursive along with the date “1982-1982.”
Want to keep up on the latest from PEOPLE? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.Parker tells PEOPLE she didn’t notice Shelton’s name on the textbook at first but was appalled when she found his name written on there.
“I said, ‘No, that can’t be,'” says Parker, a former teacher. “I can’t believe these books are so old. When I was in school, I wasn’t using books that were 40 years old.”
Parker says the town of Ada is small, and that “half the people in this town are related to him” so it wasn’t too much of a surprise when she saw his name.
As for whether Shelton had heard about the story, Parker says, “I’m sure he has. There are so many people that are related to him around here. He has a huge family.”
Blake Shelton
The Facebook post comes after teachers in Oklahoma walked out of school this week protesting for more funding geared toward schools for equipment and textbooks that are outdated.
“I feel like we’re going backward instead of forwards,” says Parker. Despite her worry, she says Marley has been over the moon since she checked out her book.
“Everyone’s been teasing her about being famous,” says Parker. “It’s been kind of funny to see how she acts now that this thing has gone viral.”