Going to school can be difficult at times, but loving teachers can make the difference. This book calendars Dr. Stovall's personal experience with othermothering at school from preschool through the completion of her first college degree. Though Dr. Stovall had a wonderful relationship with her mom, at school, these women cared for her as a mother would and made the difference. This book was designed to help school personnel increase their connection with students and parents of color.

Children of color have performed disproportionately lower than any other race since the 1954 passage of Brown v. Board of Education which eradicated 38,000 Black teachers and administrators from the profession. Othermothering is critical to Black teaching and consists of the following: 1) A Pedagogical Commitment/Commitment to Learning 2) A Financial commitment to the Student 3) Care and Concern 4) Advocacy 5) Relatedness At Just Like a Mom, "Dr. W." as the students refer to her, has focused her work on three of these pillars: 1) Care and Concern 2) Advocacy 3) Relatedness Like most students in America, throughout Dr. Stovall's academic journey, she had primarily white teachers where perhaps unbeknownst to them, she experienced othermothering from them as well. Dr. Stovall believes this special touch to teaching, giving teachers "permission to love" as one teacher research participant put it is necessary, particularly for Black students who have been placed in a school system that was not designed with them in mind. This book calendars Dr. Stovall's personal experience with othermothering at school from preschool through the completion of her first college degree. Though Dr. Stovall had a wonderful relationship with her mom, while at school, these women cared for her as a mother would and made the difference.