If You Didn't Earn It, You Don't Deserve It

Mamacita says:  The world is so full of lovely, kind, honest people. Seriously, I agree with Anne Frank, who said, “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” How is it that in a … Continue reading

Say Hello to My Little Friend

Mamacita says:  This is a caffeine molecule. We hang out far too much.  I had thought about writing a humorous essay about how I’ve been known to drive to WalMart at 3 a.m. for Diet Coke because we were out … Continue reading

Good Teaching Is Like Good Stand-Up.

Mamacita says:  I love children, and I love students of all ages, and I love teaching, and I love genuine education in all of its 6-degrees-of-separation wonder. Everything is connected – everything in the known and unknown universe is connected. … Continue reading

What Do I Really Want To Do In My Classroom?

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, … Continue reading

Frog, Frogs, Arlo & Susie, The Frog Prince, and Me

Mamacita says:  Sometimes I wonder how I ever decided to become a teacher, what with my lower-than-low opinion of people who aren’t interested in lifelong learning, my intolerance and complete disdain of willful ignorance, my disregard of any rule that … Continue reading

Standardization, Administration, & Other Bollocky Things

Mamacita says:  Beethoven and Rodin would never make it in an American public school these days. Neither would Lincoln, or Clara Barton, or Thomas Jefferson. Nor Einstein. Or Edison. Administrators have forgotten that ultimately, our culture will be judged on … Continue reading