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category archive listing Category Archives: English

Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus

March 10, 2010 – 6:19 pm

Mamacita says:  At the risk of exposing my Harry Potter obsession to the world – and it’s no doubt far too late to worry about that – I have been looking at the series with my teacher-eyes lately and have noticed some pretty awesome things.
At age eleven,  children were expected to know the basic skills [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Education, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Political Correctness, Scheiss Weekly, Things Nice People Already Know, children, etiquette, fools, schools, teenagers | Comments (5)

Wednesday: Why Do It Be?

February 10, 2010 – 1:14 am

Mamacita says:  I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, exactly a spring chicken these days, but when the time comes that I stop asking questions, they can bury me.  In fact, they should.  What possible use is a person who doesn’t ask questions and seek answers?  Can’t think of a thing.
I’m not presumptuous  [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Education, Humor, Indiana, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Not the imitation Mamacita, Oh No She Dinnit, Scheiss Weekly, The Arts, The real Mamacita, Things Nice People Already Know, music, parenting, schools, work ethic | Comments (4)

Limited-Vocabulary Readers are the Devil. Yes, THAT Devil.

January 6, 2010 – 10:46 pm

Mamacita says:  I don’t think there are any words coined yet that would adequately describe the complete and total loathing I have for simplified, edited versions of good books.
I’ve heard quadrillions of elementary teachers argue that small children learn best when there are few challenges, but I have to disagree with that, too.  How condescending!
I [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Books, Censorship, Education, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Literature, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, My daughter, My son, Not the imitation Mamacita, Oh No She Dinnit, Political Correctness, Scheiss Weekly, Things Nice People Already Know, children, fools, love, parenting, schools, work ethic | Comments (13)

Them Ol’ Midterm Blues. . . .

October 8, 2009 – 5:29 pm

Mamacita says:
Midterms are next week.  Bummer.
You see, I really like most of my students, and it makes me sad to see so many of them stressing over their midterm tests.  Some of my students have several different midterm exams in the same week, which really puts the crunch on their time and nerves.
I recently discovered [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Linguistics, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Not the imitation Mamacita, Oh No She Dinnit, Scheiss Weekly, The real Mamacita, schools | Comments (0)

Poetry Friday: Jean Kerr Taught Me To Love Poetry

September 18, 2009 – 10:23 pm

Mamacita says:  I first encountered Gerard Manley Hopkins’  Spring and Fall and Robert Burns’ John Anderson, My Jo in a college course.  Unfortunately, the professor was a jaded, bored, boring man who considered himself far too important to be teaching a group of eager undergrads, and who turned every selection into a joke.  Both poems, [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Books, Family, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Linguistics, Literature, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Scheiss Weekly, The Arts, Traditions, children, memories, parenting | Comments (4)

You’re Not The Boss of Me.

August 26, 2009 – 10:26 pm

Mamacita says:  I think, sometimes anyway, that it’s when my students get into hot and heavy “discussions” – most of which I jump into as well, that I like my job the best.  The public school discouraged discussion; there were too many things to drill and practice before the almighty ISTEP, and besides, there was [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Books, Censorship, Education, Indiana, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Literature, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Political Correctness, Scheiss Weekly, Things Nice People Already Know, schools, work ethic, writing | Comments (6)

Quotation Saturday: Writing

August 8, 2009 – 2:05 am

Mamacita says: My obsession with writing has extended itself over into Quotation Saturday!
1. There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein. –Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith
2. The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Literature, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Not the imitation Mamacita, Quotation Saturday, Scheiss Weekly, The Arts, The real Mamacita, spelling, writing | Comments (3)

Seven Things I Love

July 30, 2009 – 1:38 am

Obi’s Sister has tagged me for a meme.  It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, and I will have to say that not only do I learn things about my friends that I honestly didn’t know before; I learn things about myself that I probably knew but had filed away somewhere and [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Baking, BlogHer2008, Books, Education, Friendship, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Linguistics, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Memes, Not the imitation Mamacita, Scheiss Weekly, The Arts, The real Mamacita, cats, love, memories, music, nostalgia | Comments (4)

Winners and Losers

April 19, 2009 – 11:51 pm

Mamacita says:  It’s absolutely POURING down rain, and I’m really glad because I love to lie in bed and listen to the rain as I drift off to sleep.
However, tomorrow is an early-to-work day, and a hard rain as I drive northward on the interstate isn’t nearly as pleasant.
The semester is over in only three [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Education, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Jobs, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Political Correctness, Scheiss Weekly, Things Nice People Already Know, children, memories, schools, work ethic | Comments (3)

Ten Things Tuesday

April 7, 2009 – 3:05 am

Mamacita says:
1.  I’m tired.
2.  I have forty essays to grade before I can go to bed.
3.  It’s almost 3 a.m.
4.  They are not good essays.
5.  They are, in fact, terrible essays.
6.  Spell-check is not your friend.  Spell-check is not anybody’s friend.   Spell-check will stab you in the back and exit, laughing.
7.  Repeat after me:  “Anyways” [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Education, Friendship, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Linguistics, Mamacita, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Scheiss Weekly, Ten Things Tuesday, Things Nice People Already Know, love, schools, spelling, work ethic | Comments (2)