grammar — Scheiss Weekly

The Time Is Always Right To Do What Is Right

January 16, 2012 – 12:01 am

Mamacita says: Why is this day a holiday in most communities? (This community doesn’t consider it a holiday, but that’s typical for this county.) (None of our schools closed. None of our schools has EVER closed for MLK Day.)(They don’t close for Veteran’s Day, either.) However, intelligent, sensitive, educated people understand that today deserves respect [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in adult students, descriptive language, Education, English, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Jobs, Jr., Linguistics, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Scheiss Weekly, schools, Things Nice People Already Know | Comments (0)

I Worry About the Future

October 23, 2011 – 8:13 pm

Mamacita says: I worry about the future. I worry about the future for different reasons than most people’s reasons. I worry about the future because present generations aren’t learning about the past. Seriously. Our students don’t seem to have anything to make connections to, these days. They believe ridiculous things on Facebook updates. They don’t [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in adult students, children, Education, English, fools, hyphenated adjectives, Indiana, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Not the imitation Mamacita, Oh No She Dinnit, opinions, parenting, Political Correctness, Scheiss Weekly, schools, southern Indiana, teenagers, The real Mamacita, Things Nice People Already Know, work ethic | Comments (6)

Then and Now: What A Difference A Word Makes!

June 8, 2011 – 10:59 pm

Mamacita says: I love grammar. I love the logic of it. I love how there is a name and purpose for each word in a sentence. I love how it takes a little intellect to put a good sentence together. I love the almost mathematical precision of a good sentence, coupled with the brilliance of [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Body image, Education, English, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, schools, The real Mamacita, writing | Comments (1)

What Do I Really Want To Do In My Classroom?

June 3, 2011 – 8:26 am

Mamacita says: Finally. Someone has finally asked me a question I’ve wished for years someone would ask. It’s a question that’s right up there with Ed McMahon asking if he could come inside and give me a surprise. (Shut up, pervs.) Someone asked me what I really wanted to do in my classroom. What do [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Education, English, fools, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Lessons learned, love, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Not the imitation Mamacita, Oh No She Dinnit, opinions, Political Correctness, Politics, Scheiss Weekly, schools, science, spelling, teachers, teenagers, The real Mamacita | Comments (1)

April is Poetry Month: Sara Teasdale

April 1, 2011 – 11:14 pm

Sara Teasdale I Shall Not Care When I am dead and over me bright April Shakes out her rain-drenched hair, Though you should lean above me broken-hearted, I shall not care. I shall have peace, as leafy trees are peaceful When rain bends down the bough; And I shall be more silent and cold-hearted Than [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in April is poetry month, death, descriptive language, figurative language, heartbreak, hyphenated adjectives, I Shall Not Care, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Linguistics, Literature, love, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, metaphors, personification, poems, poetry, Poetry Month, revenge, rhyme scheme, Scheiss Weekly, similes, The Arts, The real Mamacita | Comments (1)

Every Day Is Grammar Day

March 5, 2011 – 12:17 am

Mamacita says: Every day is grammar day for people who know how to use their own language correctly. This, of course, should be everyone who lives in any given country, and it is, for most countries. Except ours. The sad fact is that far too many Americans don’t know beans about how to use their [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Education, English, Family, fools, It's Outrageous!, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Linguistics, love, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Oh No She Dinnit, Political Correctness, Scheiss Weekly, Social media, The real Mamacita, Things Nice People Already Know | Comments (1)

People With Small Vocabularies Also Have Small. . . . Brains. *

January 16, 2011 – 4:01 am

I can’t help but wonder if all this brouhaha about dumbing down the vocabulary in classic literature right now has at least part of its origin in the sad fact that many of our parents and teachers can’t understand the big words. This isn’t funny; it’s unforgiveable. The more words we know, the better able [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Books, Censorship, children, Education, fools, It's Outrageous!, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Lessons learned, Linguistics, Literature, love, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Not the imitation Mamacita, Oh No She Dinnit, parenting, Political Correctness, Scheiss Weekly, teachers, The Arts, The real Mamacita, Things Nice People Already Know, writing | Comments (4)

Omens, Witch-burning, and Fools

January 12, 2011 – 2:59 am

Mamacita says: Second day of class, and we’re buried alive in snow, so much so that even the college canceled classes. I don’t believe in omens, but I can’t help thinking, “omen.” I did what I usually do on a snow day: I slept. That is because I am an exciting, energetic bundle of cool, [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Education, English, fools, Humor, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Linguistics, Literature, love, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, Night owl, Not the imitation Mamacita, Oh No She Dinnit, Political Correctness, Scheiss Weekly, schools, teachers, teenagers, The real Mamacita, writing | Comments (1)

Did you learn anything interesting today?

January 3, 2011 – 12:05 am

Mamacita says: This is five years old, but it’s still a good random sample of my day. Remember, helping students make connections is my “thing,” but it helps when they have something to connect things to. Sometimes I think a good combination of personalities can find connections among/between almost anything. This is wonderful, by the [...]

By Jane Goodwin | Also posted in Books, Education, English, Humor, Jane Goodwin, JaneG, Literature, love, Mamacita, Mamacita Jane, Mamacita Says, MamacitaG, memories, Not the imitation Mamacita, Oh No She Dinnit, Scheiss Weekly, teachers, teenagers, The real Mamacita, Uncategorized | Comments (2)

Profanity vs. Obscenity

November 12, 2010 – 11:40 pm

Warning: proceed no further if you’re one of those overly sensitive types who is easily offended. You’re no fun, by the way. == Mamacita says: Grammar. I love grammar. It’s such a fantastic segue to. . . well, pretty much anything. A student once asked me if it was true that a person could go [...]