MS. RACHEL AND THE PENDULUM OF LOVE: How One Woman’s Voice United Generations Through Love, Learning, and Laughter
Insight No. 27
Author: Mani Skaria, Ph.D. (the Silly Goose Grandpa)
Professor Emeritus, Texas A&M–Kingsville
THE TEACHER WHO SINGS
LOVE TURNED INTO PURPOSE
There’s a friendly competition in our home — one that plays out in the bright eyes of my grandbaby, Lilah.
The rivals? Ms. Rachel and Grandpa Lalli — and, truth be told, Grandma Mimi too!
Ms. Rachel — YouTuber, educator, and producer of Songs for Littles, a children’s music series focused on language development for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers — has changed the way families around the world learn and bond.
Ms. Rachel’s recent honor as one of Glamour magazine’s Women of the Year (2025) is more than an award — it’s a celebration of love turned into purpose. From her living room, armed only with an iPhone and a mother’s hope for her child, she built a global classroom where millions of little hearts now learn to speak, sing, and smile.
“Children are not things to be molded, but people to be unfolded.”
— Jess Lair, Ph.D., from I Ain’t Much, Baby — But I’m All I’ve Got (1974)
THE SPLASH, THE SCENT, AND THE SONGS
When Uncle Ron plays with Lilah in the jacuzzi, the water sings its own tune — “plum… pluuum…” — every time a pebble drops in. Lilah bursts into giggles, convinced it’s a secret song meant just for her. But even that bubbly symphony doesn’t come anywhere close to the magic that happens when Ms. Rachel appears on the screen. Mimi’s lively cooking sessions, where the baby eagerly “participates” in every dish, and Grandpa’s nonstop jumping to keep up with her excitement, all fade in comparison when Ms. Rachel takes over the room with her songs and smiles.
“In the heart of every child’s laughter lives the teacher who chose love over limits.”
— Mani Skaria
