Mark’s Remarks
Annual Non-Thankful List | Mark’s Remarks
This is my third year of publishing my “non-thankful list.” Some folks are appalled that I publish such a thing, but I don’t care. It’s a good way to gripe…
Read MoreSquare dancing with Mrs. B | Mark’s Remarks
I went through a Charlie Brown phase when I was a kid. I tried sports, but wasn’t very good. Boy Scouts intrigued me, but I could never fish as well…
Read MoreParenting and teaching | Mark’s Remarks
I have often wondered, during my teaching career, how many parents simply want a break. I mean, how often did we wish we had an easy kid to take care…
Read MoreThe Age of Skepticism | Ott Observations
I was on a retreat recently and the issue of the decline of the institution of religion was part of the discussion. Less than half of Americans are members of…
Read MoreThe Horror | Mark’s Remarks
I have said for all of my married life that I could die a happy man if my wife ever told me she’d found the perfect swimsuit and was also…
Read MoreHezekiah and praying | Mark’s Remarks
Hezekiah was the 13th king of Judah and is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus, written in Matthew. He was a righteous king who enacted religious reform in an attempt…
Read MoreCartoons | Mark’s Remarks
“That’s something kids today will never know about.” How many times do you say that as you grow older? Michelle and I were talking about cartoons the other day…
Read MoreWalk and Roll, 1978 | Mark’s Remarks
Last week was “Walk and Roll To School Day.” I don’t know the origin, but I think it’s been around since the late 1990s. Someone asked me if it was…
Read MorePranktober | Mark’s Remarks
One of the things I’m really going to miss about teaching in a school with a bunch of hooligans is the pranks that usually begin to crop up around this…
Read MoreTechnology and taking things for granted | Mark’s Remarks
I’m trying to remember my early days as a teacher, conjuring up memories of the “hardships” we like to tell stories about when young teachers complain about the internet being…
Read MoreBlock party | Mark’s Remarks
Michelle is a good match for me, because she often has fanciful ideas that end up being excellent ones. After I unintentionally pop her idea bubble, bring up boring…
Read MoreMarybeth | Mark’s Remarks
“Have you met Marybeth yet?” My friends who already knew her said we just had to meet. I had no idea who this Marybeth was. People kept telling me…
Read More