MRNA turned 73 yesterday. MRNA is Ruth’s self proclaimed nickname. It stands for Mom, Ruth, Nana, Altogether. This is my favorite time of the year because for 48 days, four dozen days if you prefer, she’s a year older than me. For the statisticians out there, that computes to … 4,147,200 seconds 69,120 minutes 1,152 …
Author: Robert
Lock Down
One of the neighbors in our “hood” offered up this observation the other day. I found it amusing, so I thought I’d share it with you. I’m not sure if she actually wrote it, or found it somewhere on line, but here it is. Just be careful because people are going crazy from being in …
Three Toasts
I’ve had the opportunity to offer up several “toasts” at a dinner. My first took place when I was eighteen. I was the best man at my cousin, Gene’s, wedding. Another followed when I was about to turn twenty-two and served as best man for my friend, Mitch. I was in my late forties …
Polio Pioneer
Sixty-six years ago, I was a Polio Pioneer. I still have a certificate and Polio Pioneer pin to prove it. I was seven years old and in Mrs. Davies second grade class at Lincoln Elementary. Being a “pioneer” was a big deal. Polio, short for poliomyelitis, or infantile paralysis, is an infectious disease caused …
Report Cards and Relationships
Although I’m a career educator, I’m not a fan of report cards. I didn’t like receiving them when I was a student, didn’t like completing them as a teacher, and I totally despised all the studies we did when I served as an administrator. No matter what system was developed, parents wanted things to be …
The Coronavirus and Me
The current health crisis has brought great uncertainty to the world. People want guidance, answers, deadlines, and most of all, they want to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The problem is compounded by the fact that no one knows how long the tunnel is. We’re not used to the inconvenience that …
Who Needs Toilet Paper
The first time I saw a bidet was about forty-five years ago. One of my friends, Lyndon, was building a new house, and he took me on an impromptu tour. He was having great success in his new business, selling student accident insurance to K-12 schools and colleges throughout Michigan and the surrounding states. …
March Madness
The current world health crisis has brought great change to all of us. We’re learning new things every day, and quite frankly, each day is a bit scarier than the last. One of the first national casualties was the cancellation of the NCAA’s college basketball tournaments and the annual basketball season known as March Madness. …
Iola Jean
I’ve worked with hundreds of staff members over my career. I can count on two fingers how many of their middle names I can recall, and I’m not really sure about the second. I don’t know why Iola Jean Perkins sticks, but it does. I’ve included a couple more reflections regarding Miss Perkins below. Another …
Miss Perkins
I met Iola Perkins during my first week on the job in Addison. I was a thirty-year old, still wet behind the ears, elementary school principal, and she was a veteran teacher old enough to be my mom. If they put a picture of a teaching spinster in the dictionary, they could have called upon …