Men Are from Mars

Preschool is where lesson plans go to die, coffee goes cold, and somebody is probably chewing a crayon.

Julio Martin never imagined that his life would revolve around circle time, mystery stains, diaper disasters, glitter that refuses to disappear, and serious negotiations with three-year-olds. But somewhere between the chaos and the comedy, he discovered something unexpected: he had found exactly where he belonged.

In Men Are from Mars: Toddlers Are from That Corner Chewing a Crayon, preschool teacher, childcare center owner, husband, and father Julio Martin takes readers behind the classroom door for a hilarious, heartfelt look at life in early childhood education.

From being asked, "You're the teacher?" to surviving potty-training emergencies, nap-time battles, parent pickup, field-trip disasters, snack-time politics, awkward conferences, bodily-fluid catastrophes, and the unstoppable force known as glitter, Julio shares the moments that make working with toddlers completely exhausting-and impossible not to love.

But beneath the laughter is a bigger story.

As a man working in a profession still overwhelmingly associated with women, Julio has spent years confronting assumptions about who can nurture, teach, comfort, and care for young children. His experiences reveal that children care far less about stereotypes than adults do. They want to know something much simpler: Are you kind? Are you safe? Will you show up tomorrow?

Funny, candid, warm, and surprisingly moving, this book celebrates the teachers who keep showing up even when the classroom is falling apart. It is about patience, purpose, trust, fatherhood, education, and the extraordinary lessons hidden inside ordinary preschool days.

Perfect for preschool teachers, daycare professionals, childcare workers, parents, fathers, educators, and anyone who has ever tried to reason with a toddler.

Because teaching young children may be messy, exhausting, unpredictable, and occasionally disgusting-but as Julio reminds us, it is also work that truly matters. The manuscript ultimately describes early-childhood teaching as a calling built on care, encouragement, consistency, and showing up for children.