Frazz by Jef Mallett follows the adventures of an unexpected role model: an elementary-school janitor who's also a Renaissance man. While he's sweeping the hall, he's whistling Beethoven. Or Lyle Lovett. He paints the woodwork in the classrooms; he paints a Da Vinci on the cafeteria wall. He's a trusted authority figure who is every kid's buddy. He took the janitor's job while he was a struggling songwriter, and when he finally sold a hit song, he decided to stay on at school. Frazz appears in 200 newspapers worldwide, including the Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Chicago Tribune and Detroit News. "A few years back, I wrote and illustrated a children's book," says Mallett. "When I was traveling around reading it at school assemblies, I noticed that often, the most respected, best-liked grown-up in the building was the janitor. And I thought, 'Hmm, there's a comic strip in that.'" Often praised for its intelligent wit, gentle spirit and effortless diversity, Frazz won a Wilbur Award from the Religion Communicators Council in 2003 and 2005 for excellence in communicating values and ethics.
© Jef Mallett - All Rights Reserved.
Frank & Ernest by Thaves
Fred Basset by Alex Graham
Comments (44) (Please sign in to comment)
Varnes said, 7 months ago
OK, school me on this one….I don’t get it….
Nabuquduriuzhur said, 7 months ago
Cost.
Randy_B
said, 7 months ago
Frazz is starting to explain the reason for the teacher’s example, which the student missed entirely:
You get richer results with pressure.
ammittai said, 7 months ago
the point is that it is spelled and pronounced espresso not expresso. the teacher was trying to make a point about pressure but blew it by mispronouncing the word.
Leo Autodidact said, 7 months ago
I’m just kinda surprised that She expected a 3rd-grader to know the fine distinctions of Java!
What does She THINK those Kids drink in the morning?
capnLaz
said, 7 months ago
Lucky it’s not usually beer!
purpledog39 said, 7 months ago
When I was in third grade I probably wouldn’t have known. Today, the parents might own an espresso machine or go to Starbucks. (In the latter case, the difference between plain old coffee and e[xs]presso would be “about $2.50 a cup”)
The Old Wolf
said, 7 months ago
@Varnes
The best aphorism I’ve seen on this one is, “It’s espresso, as in pressure, not expresso, as in clueless.” Jef may have heard it.
Magnolia42 said, 7 months ago
@Varnes
Espresso!
vwdualnomand said, 7 months ago
school has to be hard. prepares kids for the real world. that and to compete other countries’ kids on test scores.
gene.fellner said, 7 months ago
Actually “expresso” is in the dictionary as an alternate (but not preferred) spelling of “espresso.” Furthermore, if you spell it that way you’re also supposed to pronounce the X. It’s a false etymology: “espresso” is an inflection of the Italian verb “to press” (the coffee) and has nothing to do with speed. _
JohnnyDiego said, 7 months ago
Who’d a thunk I would have to go to a comic to finally learn how not to say ex-spress-o but to say eh-spress-o.
zoidknight said, 7 months ago
@Randy_B
How long has it been since you were in school?
hippogriff said, 7 months ago
zoidknight: At what grade level? I got my masters only a decade and half ago, but was in elementary school before and during WW-II.
comicsssfan said, 7 months ago
Elementary school was very hard. It is especially intense in the beginning grades learning reading, arithmetic and doing the assignments. Just tell her to wait until middle school and high school where most of the teachers goldbrick. By then most classes will have no content. In fact, many of the teachers will even be anti-intellectual. Depending on the school system her education could pretty much end on the 6th grade.