Mamacita says:
1. My sourdough starter is over twenty years old. The bread is delicious. Whenever I use it – and it’s been a while; the starter is currently residing in the freezer – I think about pioneer families, with starters that went back for generations; some starters made the long trip across the sea, even. This makes me really happy to think about. I love the part of “By the Shores of Silver Lake” where Laura explains to Mrs. Boast why the biscuits are so light and tasty. They were all astonished that Mrs. Boast didn’t know anything about sourdough bread, and frankly, so am I, today. In “The Long Winter,” Pa mentions to Ma that he noticed she’d gotten her sourdough working again, and Ma replied that a body didn’t need yeast to have light, delicious raised bread. And so we don’t.
2. I am very upset when I meet someone who has never read the Little House books.
3. I am actually horrified when I meet someone who has never heard of the Little House books.
4. A home that contains children should be required by law to have copies of the entire Little House series* and the parents should be ashamed of themselves if they don’t read them aloud and do a lot of the things mentioned in them with their children. MY mother took us on a road trip to Laura’s last home, for crying out loud. I know, I know, you’re all busy and you all prefer electronic games. MAKE THE TIME. This is important, dammit. Are you the adult in your home or not? Do the job properly. Those horrid, insipid, television episodes most decidedly do NOT count.
5. Why would a student who didn’t have a computer at home sign up for an online or hybrid class? It beats the hell out of me, these things they do
6. It is a sad fact that many just-out-of-high-school students fully expect paper and pencils to be supplied by the college professor. It is also a fact that I blame this trend on the dastardly and communistic community supplies policy many public schools and/or their teachers force their students to do.
7. I was once punished in fourth grade for. . . wait for it. . . having too many library books in my desk. To compound this dreadful sin, all of the books were from sections too advanced for fourth graders. What might the other kids think? Did I want to make them feel bad? Well, frankly, I didn’t care then and I don’t care now. My reading habits were my business, then and now, and I still loathe that teacher for making my business her business. I loathe her for many other reasons, too. She was ALMOST as interesting as a box of hair. Not quite, but almost. The box of hair still had her beat.
8. The one and only thing I remember about sixth grade was that Mr. Norman taught us how to wire a little desk lamp. Math? English? Science? History? I’m drawing a blank. Two fascinating hours out of an entire school year of tedium.
9. I am probably the only kid in the history of the world who hated recess with an unholy passion.
10. When a kid demonstrates mastery, the kid should be automatically moved on and up. Why don’t we do this? It’s CRIMINAL to make a kid sit and endure months of excruciating boredom, waiting for the other kids to catch on. Why do our schools do this to the cream of the crop? Oh yes, I remember now. It would cost money to move them up, and we musn’t do anything to disturb the self esteem of the lowest common denominator. The self esteem of the cream doesn’t matter; they’ll get by, somehow. Bullshit mahoney.
*I know, there are chapters that contain things that some people consider politically incorrect. How sad, that so many people have no concept of “CONTEXT.” I mean, jeepers, people! Get a grip. It’s history, for crying out loud. That’s how it was, BACK THEN. Deal with it.
Doesn’t Mamacita ever blog about positive things? Sure I do. Stay tuned. You have to catch me at the primo momento.**
**I never pretended to speak a foreign language. I only pretend to be witty.
I have stayed awake all day by inhaling one ice-cold Diet Coke after another. I didn’t have any solid food until nineish tonight. That’s not a real excuse for being snarky, but it’s all I’ve got.
Yeah, well, my children love me. So there. (I bought Belle a lamp tonight. She HAS to love me for a few days.) (It has a lovely bright red shade.) (It was NOT on sale.) If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.
Glad to know I’m not the only one that hated recess. We had math right before recess and I remember begging for extra math worksheets so that I could stay inside and multiply/divide/add/subtract instead of having to go out and play kickball and fight over the swings!
Glad to know I’m not the only one that hated recess. We had math right before recess and I remember begging for extra math worksheets so that I could stay inside and multiply/divide/add/subtract instead of having to go out and play kickball and fight over the swings!
Guess what Neal got me for my birthday a couple weeks ago? A box set of LHotP! Yay! After he finishes reading LotR to me, he’s going to start reading those to me. (I’ve read LHotP before, but I hadn’t read LotR.)
🙂
Guess what Neal got me for my birthday a couple weeks ago? A box set of LHotP! Yay! After he finishes reading LotR to me, he’s going to start reading those to me. (I’ve read LHotP before, but I hadn’t read LotR.)
🙂
I liked recess – didn’t you know that you can take a book outside and read it? Lunch was what I hated. What a waste of time. I would have rather just had a book and a granola bar to take outside. I was always pissed in school when weather prevented recess from taking place outside. People just don’t understand that it’s okay to be cold in the winter. It’s normal and natural. Nobody ever died from getting chilled at recess (and if they did, it was probably due to a preexisting condition.)
I liked recess – didn’t you know that you can take a book outside and read it? Lunch was what I hated. What a waste of time. I would have rather just had a book and a granola bar to take outside. I was always pissed in school when weather prevented recess from taking place outside. People just don’t understand that it’s okay to be cold in the winter. It’s normal and natural. Nobody ever died from getting chilled at recess (and if they did, it was probably due to a preexisting condition.)
Recess haters of the world, unite! I used to stay in the classroom reading instead of going outside. And I loved the Little House books. (Still do and should probably repossess them from my parents’ house before Mom “donates” them.”
Recess haters of the world, unite! I used to stay in the classroom reading instead of going outside. And I loved the Little House books. (Still do and should probably repossess them from my parents’ house before Mom “donates” them.”
Well, in fairness, if you stuff too many books into your desk, it can’t be good for the books!
Wait – that ISN’T what your teacher meant?! GASP! SHOCK! ;D
Well, in fairness, if you stuff too many books into your desk, it can’t be good for the books!
Wait – that ISN’T what your teacher meant?! GASP! SHOCK! ;D
Pingback: Right Wing Nation » Blog Archive » Presenting The Carnival Of Education
Pingback: Right Wing Nation » Blog Archive » Presenting The Carnival Of Education
I loved Little House’s books. When I read them to HG, she was a little disturbed how they made lard and soap. It kind of damaged hera little. *heh
I loved Little House’s books. When I read them to HG, she was a little disturbed how they made lard and soap. It kind of damaged hera little. *heh
Nope. My husband apparently hated recess as well. He got in trouble in 5th grade every day, in order to get detention and not have to go to recess. Until his mother clued his teacher in. Then, he was allowed to stay in unless he got in trouble. His 5th grade teacher told me about this when I started working at his old elementary school.
But, too many library books? (Although, I kept the draconian checkout limits of the old librarian at my school for two years before I realized that no one gives a d**n how many books I let the kids check out).
P.S. I think the level of interestingness provided by a box of hair would entirely depend on whose hair. :-).
Nope. My husband apparently hated recess as well. He got in trouble in 5th grade every day, in order to get detention and not have to go to recess. Until his mother clued his teacher in. Then, he was allowed to stay in unless he got in trouble. His 5th grade teacher told me about this when I started working at his old elementary school.
But, too many library books? (Although, I kept the draconian checkout limits of the old librarian at my school for two years before I realized that no one gives a d**n how many books I let the kids check out).
P.S. I think the level of interestingness provided by a box of hair would entirely depend on whose hair. :-).
Here’s my weirdness; we have the LHotP books for the girls (and Punkin’, it just so happens, is currently reading them), so I get a check for that. I also get a check for having sourdough starter. What I DON’T have, though, is a sourdough recipe that makes less than five fricking loaves of bread; seriously, the only sourdough starter recipe I have requires TEN CUPS of flour to start. Got a good – small – recipe you’re willing to share?
Here’s my weirdness; we have the LHotP books for the girls (and Punkin’, it just so happens, is currently reading them), so I get a check for that. I also get a check for having sourdough starter. What I DON’T have, though, is a sourdough recipe that makes less than five fricking loaves of bread; seriously, the only sourdough starter recipe I have requires TEN CUPS of flour to start. Got a good – small – recipe you’re willing to share?
Ummm…how do you feel about people who have read all the Little House books but hated them? And who hate sourdough bread?
:::Hangs head in shame:::
I don’t like them, not at all. I feel odd and dirty now…
Ummm…how do you feel about people who have read all the Little House books but hated them? And who hate sourdough bread?
:::Hangs head in shame:::
I don’t like them, not at all. I feel odd and dirty now…
Your fourth-grade teacher sounds like my fourth-grade teacher. Are you sure we weren’t in the same class?
Your fourth-grade teacher sounds like my fourth-grade teacher. Are you sure we weren’t in the same class?
My daughter is OK — physically bruised and sore, but OK. We’re working the issues one day at a time.
I agree with so much of this post and wish I had time to comment further.
My daughter is OK — physically bruised and sore, but OK. We’re working the issues one day at a time.
I agree with so much of this post and wish I had time to comment further.
I, too, hated recess–until my teachers discovered that I loved to grade papers. Yes, confidentiality meant nothing back then. I even made up spelling tests, starting in grade 4. And I had the same teacher you did in that grade: Hershey kisses, eaten in front of her students, never ceased to amaze me.
And I still look back fondly at our trip to Mansfield. Pa’s fiddle!
I, too, hated recess–until my teachers discovered that I loved to grade papers. Yes, confidentiality meant nothing back then. I even made up spelling tests, starting in grade 4. And I had the same teacher you did in that grade: Hershey kisses, eaten in front of her students, never ceased to amaze me.
And I still look back fondly at our trip to Mansfield. Pa’s fiddle!
Oh, Mamacita…we share a lot. My Father once had to “take a meeting” with my third grade teacher because I did a book report on PT-109…and Gone With The Wind. She explained to him that these books were not “age appropriate”. His response? “Hell, she’s been reading since she was four, she reads what interests her, if she has questions, I answer them…you just can’t lump her in with the other kids!” Thank goodness for him, I was reading at college level by the time I was in fourth grade…and was blessed with teachers after that who understood.
Oh, Mamacita…we share a lot. My Father once had to “take a meeting” with my third grade teacher because I did a book report on PT-109…and Gone With The Wind. She explained to him that these books were not “age appropriate”. His response? “Hell, she’s been reading since she was four, she reads what interests her, if she has questions, I answer them…you just can’t lump her in with the other kids!” Thank goodness for him, I was reading at college level by the time I was in fourth grade…and was blessed with teachers after that who understood.