I believe the biggest reason school districts avoid consolidation is Friday night. Community members, young and old, enjoy going to school for “the game”. While we wish to win, routing for the home team is most important. It’s a point of pride. When I arrived in Britton not a week went by without someone speaking …
The Importance of History
Each day we are given opportunities to interact with people. We take advantage or we don’t. Seemingly unrelated acts often pay big dividends. When I arrived in Britton in November of 1991 I spent a lot of time reading hundreds of pieces of mail that the interim superintendent saved for me. I perused the trivial …
IMO
This cartoon appeared in the paper several weeks ago. The message is directed at the global pandemic and its ramifications for us all. It’s intent is clear, why can’t we work together? Since its publication we’ve seen national attention brought to the movement, Black Lives Matter. Some have countered with All Lives Matter or …
The Big Two-Hearted River
During my teaching years several of my teaching friends and I went on “adventures”. Most were not well thought out. We got an idea and put it into play without considering the consequences of our actions and the difficulties that might present themselves. One adventure involved two poker friends and the reading of a short …
Staying with the Kids
David and Lindsay were scheduled to go to California to stay with the hippies, Elizabeth and Sutton, for a few days, but things fell through when the governor of California tightened things up again because of the coronavirus. Lindsay was going to sing two “gigs” with them. Her peeps are disappointed. The entire San Diego …
I Should’ve Been a Cowboy
The kids in the neighborhood played cowboys and Indians. Sometimes we were just cowboys, and if we played that way, there were good and bad guys. Good guys protected damsels in distress, guarded the cattle from rustlers, warded off swindlers, and made sure the stage with the strong box got through. When we played …
Thirteen Pages
This is my forty-fifth Father’s Day. I celebrated fifty-two such days as a son. My first memory of my father dates back to our unpaved driveway at 500 N. Edgeworth. Dad decided to pave the driveway of his new home when I was about four. Prior to the paving he used the dirt drive to …
The Runner
Floyd hired me as a junior high teacher in Plainwell in 1969. He was my first principal, a fine man nearing the end of his career. His replacement was Burton, an up and coming leader. One was nearing the end, and the second was just starting his climb to the top. I got along with …
Be Aware and Beware
I read the latest edition of my AARP magazine the other day. I focused on an article regarding scams and the elderly. Seems my age makes me highly qualified in this department. Scammers might call me “essential”. The author outlines a list of several pitfalls that scammers use and the scammed fall for. According to …
For One Hour
There are several popular posts appearing on Facebook. There’s one about golf that keeps popping up. It asks you to name your dream foursome. For me that’s always been easy, I’d choose my three kids, David, Elizabeth, Michael and me. Ruth’s recent resurgence on the links muddies the waters a bit, but if we couldn’t …