. . .for the convenience of asses. . . .

Mamacita says:  My very first teaching job was in a brand-new high school that was set up in a non-traditional way: some of you may remember the “mod” system? No? I feel old. Twenty-two 20-minute periods, or “mods” a day. … Continue reading

Community School Supplies? Hands Off My Pencils!

Mamacita says: School will be starting soon – or maybe it already has – for most kids, and each year at about this time I like to re-run this post about an issue that really, really makes me want to … Continue reading

Teachers and The Knack

Mamacita says: There is a knack to teaching middle and high school students that some teachers never quite learn. I’m not sure it can be learned; it might be an art, a talent one must have at birth. For want … Continue reading

Some End-of Semester Thoughts

Mamacita says:  I teach in a community college, and I have found that my hardest-working students are, for the most part, the older ones, the ones who have been out of school for many years, the ones who have been … 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

Every Day Is Grammar Day

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 … Continue reading