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Our son, Charlie, spent the evening cooking dinner with Elysha. He spends most of this time demanding his mother’s attention and hanging on her legs, so involving him in the cooking was a great way to keep him from getting underfoot. He loved it. They made chicken nuggets, breading them in Cornflakes. It occurred to…

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A few years ago, I posted a list of all the jobs I have held in my life in chronological order.  It was an interesting exercise that I highly recommend. Things have changed since I first posted the list, so here is my updated list: 1. Farm laborer, Blackstone, MA: When I was 12-years old,…

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Truly great leaders are hard to find. In my professional life, I have worked for three. Allison White and Jalloul Montacer were McDonald’s general managers. Plato Karafelis was my principal for fifteen years. Allison taught me the importance of being the thing that you expect from your employees. She taught me that every job, as…

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In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, my students presented me with a  gift on Friday. The first was a PowerPoint presentation that explained why I was an excellent teacher. It included many inside jokes, a song that the kids performed, a few veiled insults, and a couple of slides that meant a great deal to…

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Slate’s Aisha Harris and Sharan Shetty attempt to answer the question: Is the “Good Cop, Bad Cop” Routine a Real Thing? Their answer: Not as often as movies and TV shows might make you think. Opinions vary on just how prevalent the tactic is. Joseph Pollini, a retired lieutenant commander, told us that it’s definitely…

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My career at McDonald’s was a long one with many twists and turns. I began working for McDonald’s when I was 16 years old after a friend learned that they were paying ten cents over minimum wage ($4.65). We interviewed at the store in Milford, MA and were hired on the spot. Remarkably, I never…

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