Everyone wear your seat belt!
Lisa Herring, a science teacher at McKinley Alternative School in Kokomo, Indiana, decided to add some excitement to her official school photo by taking a photo with her class’s bearded dragon, Rango Kippling.
The portrait her niece shared on Threads quickly went viral, with social media users likening the educator to the quirky, lizard-loving Miss Frizzle from the hit children’s series “The Magic School Bus.”
Oscar-nominated actor Gabourey Sidibe even expressed her love for Herring, whose resemblance to Ms. Frizzle is truly uncanny.
“Obsessed. I will complete 6 seasons of his cartoon show please,” Sidibe wrote.
Herring’s photo, shared on Threads by her nephew, had more than 85,600 likes and more than 1,000 shares as of Nov. 8. The teacher tells TODAY.com she was pleasantly shocked.
“It’s mind-blowing. It’s hilarious to me,” Herring says with a laugh. “It’s just me and my funny little dragon.”
In the photo, Herring is holding Rango, wearing a blue top hat and a tiny bow tie. They both look ready to start the school year!
Herring says the internet’s obsession with photography is new to him, but this isn’t the first time he’s been compared to The Frizz.
Miss Frizzle, who appeared in both the famous 1990s “Magic School Bus” animated show and the series on which the cartoon is based, is of course known for her wacky teaching methods; He puts the students on his magical school bus and takes them on fantastic trips. It is known that the teacher also had her pet lizard Liz with her.
Herring explains that he and Rango share a special bond, just like Ms. Frizzle and Liz. About two years ago, she says, her class received a grant to purchase a school pet. While many students are pretty excited about getting a bearded dragon, Herring says he wasn’t so sure at first.
“He was about four months old when we got him, and I was like, ‘Yeah, he’s really cute,’ but I wasn’t really interested in touching him or anything,” Herring says. “After a while he started to like me.”
Not long after, Herring says he took a school photo with Rango. The last photo is the one where the couple officially reunited on their second anniversary.
“I started taking him home on weekends and in the summer. He spends every summer with me,” he says. “When I raised 200 moon moths this summer, they would actually sit on my shoulder and eat bell peppers.”
And yes, Rango has a large wardrobe, if you’re wondering. Herring says their clothing ranges from hoodies to resort wear. He says he even changed Rango’s costume at noon for Halloween.
“It was hot dogs in the morning and Highland cows in the afternoon,” he adds.
The similarities between Herring and Miss Frizzle don’t stop with their shared love of their reptilian friends. Herring says he wants to inject some quirkiness into his classroom, just like Frizz did. Herring says she likes to bring a touch of humor to her lessons, whether it’s decking out her room with Wonder Woman-themed decorations or finding fun ways to reach students.
“A few years ago, I had a student who was in trouble outside of school and had a really difficult home life. But one of her favorite things was York mint patties,” she recalls. “I found out it was actually National Peppermint Roll Day. I had no idea! I designed a whole lesson about peppermint rolls for him.”
Herring, who is in her ninth year of teaching, says she is passionate about connecting with students from all backgrounds. And often, he says, that means pursuing creative avenues in the classroom.
Addressing her fellow teachers, she says: “As educators, we often get stuck in this routine. We have to meet all these different goals and expectations of those in power, and so we are afraid to step out of our comfort zone and do different things.” “Don’t be afraid.”
As Herring underlines, you never know how powerful whimsy can really be.
“Some of my students have been blown away by anything interesting we did in class, like making elephant toothpaste,” Herring says. “I still have students who are 25 years old who remember that. So always think outside the box and don’t be afraid to act accordingly.”