Story of a toxic family | Mark’s Remarks
I like talking to older folks. There have been many I’ve “interviewed” over the years, tucking their stories in my little notebook. I read...
Everyone’s an Idiot | Mark’s Remarks
How do you like that title? I figured I’d get your attention. Now, I have to say, I don’t generally feel this way. But...
Living in fear of betrayal | Mark’s Remarks
Can you remember most of the times someone hurt your feelings?
Many of us connect an incident to a person, regardless of the severity of...
June Cleaver’s Dark Side | Mark’s Remarks
Readers, I am shocked and scandalized by the behavior I have just witnessed from one Miss Barbara Billingsley.
Remember her? She was Beaver’s mother. As...
My name is now an insult | Mark’s Remarks
I asked my son and daughter-in-law to explain why the name Karen was being used to post negative things on Facebook and in various...
Don’t forget to play | The Happy + Healthy Life
My sweet and thoughtful friend Amanda tagged me in a Facebook post of a simple sketch of two swings. At the bottom it read,...
Intentional listening, clarifying and responding | Mark’s Remarks
Almost on a weekly basis, educators have conversations with students relating to communication. We are constantly talking to students about thinking before we speak,...
What’s so hard about it? | Mark’s Remarks
Teachers have never been fans of remote learning. We want our students in school. We miss them. We want things to return to normal.
Although...
Cashmere Pulaski or Roman Polanski? | Mark’s Remarks
Schools around Illinois were not in session Monday to honor Casimir Pulaski. I’m pretty sure I’ve written a little about him before, being the...
Devil’s Kitchen, the Enfield Monster and UFOs | Mark’s Remarks
I didn’t know until recently that this area of Illinois is sometimes referred to as “Devil’s Kitchen.”
The name apparently comes from Native Americans and...
Goal digger | The Happy + Healthy Life
What’s that one thing you have been talking about over and over again? That one thing you have always wanted to do? It’s on...
Petty, entitled, selfish us | Mark’s Remarks
Oh boy. People are fools. We have thrown out rational thinking and manners. In this day and age, an increasing amount of people think...