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Mark and Marisa Sonny podcast transcript
[00:00:00]
Intro: Welcome to the Teacher Interview Podcast. I’m your host, Wes Kriesel. I work as Director of Innovation and Instructional Support in Fullerton School District, and every week we sit down and get to know a teacher better. My goal is to learn what drives and guides teachers, especially when venturing into that risky territory of trying something new. Join me. Today on the Teacher Interview Podcast, we interview Mark and Marisa Sonny. Marisa teaches at Beechwood and Mark teaches at Parks, and they’re married. Join us for a good time. Before we get started today, we just want to highlight one of Mark’s talents, his voice. He does a morning Show at Parks Junior High School for the end-of-morning announcements and we just want to feature a couple of the intros he’s had developed for his show over the years. Enjoy.
Mark Intro: Hang on tight! The Mark in the Morning Show begins in five, four, three, two, one!
[Simpsons voiceover and Simpsons theme music play]
Wes Kriesel: And without further ado, let’s jump into the podcast interview. So, welcome.
Mark: Thank you.
Marisa: Thank you.
Mark: No, it’s your turn.
Mark: Thank you very much. Great to be here, Wes.
Wes Kriesel: All right. So, we’re so glad you’re here. This is our first time interviewing two teachers at once and, teachers who are married?
Marisa: Yeah.
Mark: Yes, we are.
Wes Kriesel: To each other?
Marisa Yup.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah.
Mark: Yes, we are, as a matter of fact. Thank you for bringing that up. Yes, we are.
Wes Kriesel: So, one of the first things I want to do is just hear how you got into teaching. What was that like for you? That’s our soft entry into the interview, is just everybody’s journey, so tell us, how’d you get into teaching?
Marisa: I should start because his story’s like way better. Way better.
Mark: Thanks. Thank you.
Wes Kriesel: I like your proactive approach, yeah.
Marisa: No, really. I mean, mine’s boring. I went to college. Do you know what I wanted to do? Took classes I thought were interesting, social science major, and then I like finished and thought, in fact said, “I would never be a teacher. That’s something I would never do.” And then, I worked some different temp jobs after college and they were so unfulfilling. So unfulfilling.
Wes Kriesel: Hmm.
Marisa: So, I just realized I want to do something where I can make a difference, so I…
Wes Kriesel: Can I stop you there?
Marisa: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Can you name one unfulfilling temp job?
Marisa: Oh my gosh.
Wes Kriesel: Do you remember something?
Marisa: All of them had to do with paper, paperwork.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. Yeah.
Marisa: It was just mindless. It just seemed so unimportant.
Marisa: A lot of filing.
Marisa: Yeah!
Wes Kriesel: Oh, filing.
Marisa: Alphabetizing and I’m like, “Really? You went to college.”
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. Not inspiring.
Marisa: “I can critically think.” And, it was insulting, but not that I expected to have some amazing job right out of the gates. But, I just thought I want to do something important and I looked inward and decided, “You what I want? I want to be a teacher.”
Wes Kriesel: Can I stop you again?
Marisa: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Describe when you look inward. That was an interesting choice of a phrase. What was that for you? It’s almost like you’re looking for some epiphany about your future.
Marisa: I think it was me trying to analyze like, “Why have I always said I would never be a teacher?”
Wes Kriesel: Oh, was that something you said?
Marisa: Yeah! That was what I said in college.
Mark: She said it a little while ago…
Wes Kriesel: Oh, I was adjusting the level…
Marisa: Yes.
Marisa: In college, I was always like, “Oh, I would never be a teacher.” I always said that.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. Thank you for repeating that.
Marisa: That’s okay. It’s okay. I told you, his story’s going to be better. So, don’t worry about it. But yeah, I just always thought I wouldn’t be a teacher, and so then it was like, “Where am I and why did I say that? That’s something important. That’s really how you can give back to your community.” And so, yeah, I mean, that’s why. It’s like I wanted to do something important.
Wes Kriesel: That’s a great story. That’s a great story.
Marisa: Thank you.
Wes Kriesel: You wanted to do something that mattered with your life.
Marisa: I did.
Wes Kriesel: That’s beautiful. Podcast over.
Mark: All right, thanks for having us, Wes.
Marisa: Thank you, thank you. So yeah, so I went back to school and I was bartending, and then I wound up at Parks with this guy.
Wes Kriesel: Hmm. Oh, is that where you met?
Mark: We did meet at Parks Junior High School.
Wes Kriesel: Interesting. Okay, well, let’s jump to you, Mark. How’d you get into teaching?
Mark: Well, Wes, it depends on where you want me to start because my story is lengthy.
Marisa: It is.
Mark: Let me just say, I didn’t go to college out of high school. I went in the Air Force. So, I was in the Air Force and, while I was there, I had a great job. I worked on the flight line with the pilots, was a jet mechanic. And, I was also an athlete, and that was kind of my reason I didn’t go to college, in a way. I didn’t develop real good study habits in school because I was really involved with sports. I lettered in football, basketball, baseball, played soccer in my spare time, and an instrument as well.
Mark: Wow. Yeah.
Mark: I’m not going to tell you the instrument because it’s too embarrassing, but…
Marisa: How about I tell you?
Wes Kriesel: Tuba?
Marisa: The accordion.
Wes Kriesel: The accordion.
Mark: Yeah.
Marisa: Who do you know who plays the accordion?
Mark: Me.
Marisa: This guy.
Wes Kriesel: In the band or solo?
Mark: No. No, on my own.
Wes Kriesel: Solo? Solo.
Mark: On my own. Occasionally, I’d…
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. That’s okay.
Mark: I’d get into a band and join them. But yeah, it was pretty much a solo career.
Marisa: I thought he was joking when he first told me that.
Wes Kriesel: That’s multiple talents.
Mark: It is, it is.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah.
Mark: Yeah. So, anyway, I didn’t have the best study habits, so I told my folks I wasn’t going to go to college. My dad said, “How about you join the service?” I thought he was joking. He drove me to the recruiter’s office the next day. He wasn’t kidding. So, day after my 19th birthday, I was in the service. Traveled around the country, especially with sports. I was a baseball player. That was my number one thing. But, I played soccer in the Air Force, got in an all-star traveling soccer team, went around the country playing. I was a goalkeeper. And then, they didn’t have baseball but they had softball, so some guys talked me into playing softball. It was easy, I enjoyed it, and I traveled the country playing on an all-star softball team.
Wes Kriesel: Oh, that’s cool.
Mark: Yeah. So, I mean, I enjoyed my service but I also got to travel playing sports. This was not war time, so I was lucky in that respect.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, yeah.
Mark: And then, my third year in, I started to have a bad back, lower back issue, diagnosed as a muscle pull, turned out to be a disc problem, and in Cocoa Beach, Florida, I ended up getting to the point where I couldn’t walk and, in the transfer of getting from a hotel to a hospital, I became paralyzed from the waist down.
Wes Kriesel: Wow. That’s serious.
Mark: Yeah.
Mark: Yeah, 22 years old. So, I was 22.
Wes Kriesel: Twenty-two, paralyzed.
Mark: Fit of condition. You know, you never think anything like this is going to happen.
Wes Kriesel: Right.
Mark: Couldn’t move anything from the waist down. And so, I had to go into eight hours of surgery to reduce, or get rid of, two discs in my lower back, and they did a fusion, L3-4, 4-5. And you know, I was in Florida; my folks came and they were there by the time I got out of surgery, which was pretty cool. Not the best situation to be on a trip to Florida, but they were there by the time I got out of surgery.
Wes Kriesel: Where did you grow up? Where were your parents from?
Mark: I grew up in Glendale.
Wes Kriesel: Oh, okay.
Mark: Glendale, California.
Wes Kriesel: Your parents flew from California to Florida?
Mark: They did.
Wes Kriesel: Wow.
Mark: My dad worked for the gas company and they knew the situation and they said, “Go,” so he was very fortunate, you know?
Wes Kriesel: Yeah.
Mark: And so, I stayed there a couple weeks. They transferred me to the VA hospital in Long Beach right next to Cal State Long Beach and I lived there for six months trying to rehab.
Wes Kriesel: Wow. Oh my gosh.
Mark: So, it went from not being able to walk, not being able to feel anything, not being able to move, to slowly getting feeling back, movement, and…
Marisa: And they said you were never supposed to walk, right?
Mark: They said if I walked it would be with crutches and leg braces. That was the best-case scenario.
Wes Kriesel: And you didn’t know each other at this point?
Marisa: No, no, no. I was like a small child.
Mark: Yeah, you were a small child then, actually. Thank you.
Wes Kriesel: Thanks for keeping it real. All right.
Mark: She is keeping it real. You were a small child. So, anyway, I lived there for six months, went from wheelchair to leg braces to crutches, and eventually developed enough strength where I could get rid of my crutches assuming that I would get rid of my leg braces eventually. But, with paralysis, they usually say two years is the cutoff. Whatever you get back after two years is going to be it, and at two years I was still in the braces and I still have to wear them today. So, I have short leg braces on.
Wes Kriesel: Really?
Mark: Yeah. So, I’m lucky I’m walking. You know, there’s still some pain involved at times and I have to be careful what I do, but all things considered, I was very lucky it happened when I was in the Air Force because I do get veteran’s disability. It’s paid for my kids’ college, it paid for my college, and you know what? It’s kind of one of the reasons I’m in teaching, to be quite… So, long story short…
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, make that connection for me.
Mark: The connection is I ended up at Cal State Fullerton – wanted to get out of Glendale, went to Cal State Fullerton, got my teaching credential, majored in kinesiology, minored in health science.
Wes Kriesel: Because of your background with athletics?
Mark: Right. I went there actually to be an athletic trainer, but they took into consideration my back problem and the fact they carry a lot of heavy items, and they’re like, “That’s probably not going to work for you.” And I happened to have a great professor who heard me give a presentation one time, and he said, “Have you thought about teaching?” He said, “You really had an impact on the class and they were riveted on every word you were saying,” and I just took that and ran with it.
Wes Kriesel: Wow, what great feedback to get.
Mark: Really. Absolutely.
Marisa: I know.
Mark: I am indebted to him forever. And I’ll tell you, I can’t tell you how lucky I feel I am to be a teacher, and there have been some tough times in teaching in general, but my job is one where I am in touch with the kids. And my job as a health teacher, honestly, is I want to train and tell the kids what not to do and things to avoid, and I have a lot of life lessons I put into my curriculum and stories that apply to everything we’re talking about, and I think it gives that connection for the kids. So, I’m kind of that veil piercer where they all of a sudden hear things for the first time, you know?
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. So interesting. I had a teacher growing up who was a Vietnam veteran and he told us about his experiences in Vietnam, and it was no one – no one was sharing information like that with us, and I just remember being just kind of eyes open. It’s interesting you called it the veil piercer. I just remember, he was a reverend, Reverend [00:11:07 unintelligible], and he would just tell us these stories and it absolutely transformed you. So, the power to kind of shape somebody’s perspective at that age…
Mark: Right. Right.
Marisa: Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. So, how did you meet then?
Mark: Wow, that’s…
Marisa: Yeah, I got hired at Parks. My first real teaching job, I worked at Placentia-Yorba Linda. I taught all of the retained eighth-graders.
Wes Kriesel: I like how you said real teaching job, so it just makes me wonder, were you teaching on the sidewalk before?
Marisa: Well, when I say that—no, the reason I say that is because I was hired as a long-term sub, but I taught all year.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. That’s real, that’s real.
Marisa: Yeah.
Marisa: But, I wasn’t paid like I was a real teacher and I wasn’t compensated like a real teacher.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. I appreciate you both are keeping it very real today.
Marisa: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: You’re like, “I teaching full-time, but not paid like I was.”
Marisa: I mean, that’s a fact. I mean, let’s be real.
Marisa: That’s part of teaching right there, yeah.
Marisa: I mean, who are the teachers who get exploited the most? It’s going to be those first teachers who don’t know any better, right?
Wes Kriesel: Yeah.
Marisa: They’re willing to go in and do whatever. So, that’s what I did. I taught all of the retained eighth-graders in the Placentia-Yorba Linda school district and it was like gang members and druggies and one boy, his mom died from cancer, and it was really hard. It was really challenging. And so, I got a random call from the principal from Parks at the time and interviewed and…
Wes Kriesel: Okay, a random—the principal didn’t just call you randomly.
Marisa: Well, it felt random because I didn’t apply. My credential is multiple subject and I have a supplementary authorization in social science because that was my major, but I never intended on teaching social science. It just happened by chance.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. But, you had applied.
Marisa: So, here’s the interesting thing.
Wes Kriesel: The principal got your phone number somehow.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, how did she get your number? I’m curious about this [00:13:03 unintelligible].
Marisa: No, I did apply. I did apply in the district, but I assumed I’d be getting called for elementary positions.
Wes Kriesel: Okay, yeah.
Marisa: And, when she called, I thought, “Oh, that sounds fun. I want to teach social studies.”
Wes Kriesel: Wow, interesting.
Marisa: And so, yeah, it was by chance. I did, and…
Wes Kriesel: So, she was looking at, oh, your supplemental authorization and had an eye open for that.
Marisa: Right, right. So, thank goodness.
Wes Kriesel: That’s cool.
Marisa: Thank goodness, because now I think, “Oh my gosh, I am so happy with the subject that I teach and the grade level that I teach, and I wouldn’t want to go…”
Wes Kriesel: And it was, so it’s interesting, that part was random.
Marisa: Yes.
Wes Kriesel: Because you weren’t out to teach social science.
Marisa: Not at all.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. I’m with you.
Marisa: But then, I was so excited when I found out what it was because what a cool subject to teach, you know? The stories are amazing.
Wes Kriesel: I love it. Okay, Parks, social studies, now you’re going to meet?
Marisa: Yeah.
Mark: Well, yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. Well, yeah.
Marisa: I mean, yeah, we just were coworkers, and it’s like I was just so eager, I had worked…
Mark: How detailed do you want to get in on this? I’m not talking from the physical [00:14:11 unintelligible] but…
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, let me just stop there. I would like to know how you—up to engagement. Where was that journey where you’re like, “Oh, we’re going to get married?”
Mark: Well, do you need to know that I went through a divorce a few years prior to this?
Wes Kriesel: It’s up to you.
Marisa: Do you need to know that?
Wes Kriesel: It’s up to you.
Mark: Yeah, well, I feel like it says that you need to know.
Wes Kriesel: Let’s just say this is the keep-it-real episode.
Mark: Yeah, you can put out whatever you want of this, believe me.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, there it is. Just stop you there. I’m not going to edit anything.
Mark: Seriously?
Wes Kriesel: No, we’ve never edited a single…
Marisa: It’s easier that way.
Wes Kriesel: Right? We’ve never…
Mark: You made it sound like this was a professional setup here. What’s going on? Well, I had been divorced, friends were setting me up with a lot of divorcees and that was kind of the deal. And you know, you go through a whole thing of you lack confidence, you’re not into the dating thing, you’ve been married 16 years, it’s a very hard transition. I don’t even want to go into that because it’s tough.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. So, I’m going to just stop you. I was married before, 14 years, divorced, got remarried, super-happy.
Mark: [00:15:12 unintelligible]
Wes Kriesel: We’re shaking hands, people.
Mark: [00:15:14 Thank you,] Wes. I hope you had a better situation than I did in the end, but I’m very happy now.
Wes Kriesel: I’m super-happy right now.
Mark: Yes.
Wes Kriesel: That’s what we’re talking about. We’re happy now.
ark: Yes, we are so happy now.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah.
Mark: Your wife isn’t here but I can vouch for you. You look very happy. And my wife is here, so I look ecstatic right now.
Wes Kriesel: Yes, that’s better.
Mark: Thank you. But, yeah, so it wasn’t like I just got divorced and here’s Marisa. She showed up at school. We didn’t even talk probably for the first semester of school. I was doing my thing. She was doing her thing and, as a new teacher, she was busy, even had a gallbladder surgery in there.
Marisa: Oh, yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Oh my gosh.
Mark: so, she had some stuff going on.
Marisa: But, that wasn’t a big deal. I mean, it was like…
Mark: She had health insurance finally, so that was fine.
Marisa: Thank god, right? But, to me it was like I was just happy to—I just was in this phase where it was like, “I know I can learn from literally everyone here. Everybody has something to offer.”
Wes Kriesel: Are you saying even Mark? Is that what you’re…?
Marisa: Even Mark. Even Mark Mark.
Mark: [00:16:10 You think?]
Marisa: Well, I mean, he was just so positive in a…
Mark: I was kind of out [00:16:13 unintelligible] though, so I was a little bit isolated from the rest of the campus. So, that’s another reason we didn’t see each other all that much.
Marisa: Yeah. It was positive and fun and…
Mark: But, I think the big event was the Christmas party that year. We went to the Christmas party. Yeah, this is not going to be one of those stories that you’re going to be able to edit out, but we got to talk, she laughed at my jokes. That was huge right there.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. Yeah, right? Yeah.
Mark: And she’s got a great laugh as some of you can probably hear already.
Wes Kriesel: That’s true, that’s true. I picked up on that.
Mark: And, you know what? I just left that Christmas party thinking, “Wow.” And, you know, it’s a 13-year age difference, so in my head I’m thinking, “Right, this is not going to happen. I mean, come on, let’s be realistic here.”
Wes Kriesel: Let me just chime in. I saw you at [00:16:50 Back to School Night, Marisa.]
Marisa: Oh, yeah.
Wes Kriesel: It was your laugh that I’m like, “She’d be great on the podcast.”
Marisa: Wow.
Marisa: Well, thank you. I appreciate that.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, yeah. So, it’s true.
Mark: Yeah, I agree.
Wes Kriesel: Objective science shows.
Mark: Yeah, I love it.
Marisa: Thank you.
Mark: No, I still love her laugh and, thankfully, she still laughs at most of my stuff.
Marisa: Thanks. Most of the time, yeah.
Mark: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Most of the time.
Mark: Most of the time. It’s gotten a little bit shorter nowadays. But, anyway, so we met there and then, I try to convince her to play in the student-faculty basketball game.
Marisa: He thought, “She’s tall. That equals…”
Mark: She’s tall. We needed some women.
Mark: “…athletic.”
Mark: Yes, so let’s get you out. So, I took her to…
Marisa: I’m not athletic.
Mark: She’s a dancer, so she’s got some coordination.
Marisa: Dancing is athletic.
Mark: Yeah, yeah. So, she’s coordinated.
Marisa: Thank you. That’s an ongoing debate.
Mark: Right. [00:17:32 Yes.] But, so I got her to Dave & Buster’s to shoot baskets at their basketball…
Mark: Oh, yeah…
Mark: “Let me just go see what you got.”
Wes Kriesel: Yeah.
Mark: And from there, we talked and went to dinner and, again, not thinking anything was really going to come of it, and…
Wes Kriesel: Okay, this is where my wife would stop me and say, “Okay, you went out to Dave and Buster’s”—this is after the Christmas party?
Mark: Right.
Markl: “And went out to dinner not thinking it would be anything. This is…”
Mark: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. Did you have a different intuition?
Marisa: No, I didn’t either.
Wes Kriesel: Oh, you didn’t? Okay, okay. All right.
Marisa: I just thought he’s a cool guy who I think is funny and fun, and he invited me to hang out with him and that sounds fun.
Marisa: Yeah. Yeah, we’re just hanging out.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, okay. All right. I apologize. It was completely innocent.
Mark: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Continue.
Mark: So, I saw her shoot and, actually, she did not look that bad at Dave & Buster’s.
Marisa: I can shoot. I just can’t run.
Mark: Right. I didn’t know that till we got out on the court. So, I did convince her to play in the game – success. I felt like I did something right.
Marisa: But, I didn’t play well.
Mark: Yeah, I thought you held your own.
Marisa: Thank you.
Mark: You held her own, yes.
Wes Kriesel: So, she held her own.
Mark: I don’t think you fell down.
Marisa: No.
Mark: And you almost made one.
Marisa: I did.
Mark: So, anyway…
Wes Kriesel: You almost made a basket.
Mark: Yeah, very close.
Wes Kriesel: That’s good.
Mark: It was kind of a roll-around-the-rim-and-then-out-type thing.
Wes Kriesel: You’re ahead of me in staff-student faculty basketball games.
Marisa: Thank you. Thank you.
Mark: We take that very seriously at Parks. But, from that point on, we kind of, “What, would you like to go out for dinner and not have basketball?”
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. Now that you mention it, one other podcast interview mentioned the staff-student game at Parks, too.
Mark: It’s big.
Wes Kriesel: It’s quite a thing.
Mark: And the one at Beechwood is getting big, too.
Marisa: They are like serious.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. Stricker, right?
Marisa: Yeah.
Mark: Stricker. Oh yes, Stricker’s serious.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. Yeah, he talked about it last week or the week before.
Mark: He is, yeah. He’s one of our players.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. Serious business.
Marisa: They are like super-competitive.
Mark: Yeah.
Marisa: The men on each of our staff are.
Mark: The men are getting old now, so I have to say it’s going to be interesting, yeah.
Marisa: That’s true. That’s true.
Mark: But, the Parks game is always a great game. And, you know, from that point on, we did start dating a little bit and we kind of kept it from everybody because we didn’t know where it was going and we didn’t want people to know, you know? And then, at the end of the year…
Marisa: That was the year when everybody started getting pink-slipped.
Mark: Everybody’s getting pink-slipped.
Wes Kriesel: Oh.
Mark: And Marisa, I have to tell you, Wes, is a great teacher. I don’t think she honestly gets enough credit in this district.
Marisa: Thank you. Thank you for saying that.
Mark: Because she, talk about technology, implementing it in your class, bringing it to the students so they enjoy everything that’s happening, that’s her. And I think I saw that at Parks, and I really was like, “She’s going to be a great teacher.” And this is at a time, again, where everybody’s getting laid off. If you didn’t have some tenure, you were gone, and they got the news, “We can’t keep you at Parks.” And this is after the principal I think said, “Oh, you’re coming back. We’re keeping you.” And so, she called me crying one night, “I’m not coming back to Parks,” and she said, “They said I’m going to go to Beechwood.” And I said, “Don’t…”
Marisa: Well, they said there was an opening. I interviewed and I got that job.
Mark: Yeah. I said, “If you’re going to Beechwood, you’re going to be okay. Beechwood is a good place. And I’m not going to knock any other school here, but I just felt like if you’re going to go somewhere, Beechwood was the perfect place for Marisa.”
Wes Kriesel: And I’m thinking, “Oh my gosh, I just came from the greatest school. How could it possibly get better?” But then, it did. I mean…
Mark: Yeah. Wow.
Wes Kriesel: Okay.
Mark: Ouch.
Marisa: No, it had the best of both worlds.
Mark: [00:20:45 That was to] the heart [00:20:47 unintelligible]
Marisa: Had the best of both worlds, right?
Mark: Yeah.
Marisa: You know? It was like…
Mark: No. I have to say, it was a good thing. Yes, absolutely a great thing.
Marisa: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: That’s awesome.
Mark: Yeah.
Marisa: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Well, talk about that transition. You said it got better. What do you mean by that?
Marisa: Okay, it got better, meaning…
Wes Kriesel: What did you like at Beechwood?
Marisa: Oh my gosh.
Wes Kriesel: I mean, well, one, you’re gaining experience as a teacher because Parks was your first real teaching job.
Marisa: Totally. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. Okay.
Mark: Right.
Wes Kriesel: So, what did you find at Beechwood?
Wes Kriesel: You know what is phenomenal about Beechwood, just like everything. It’s like this perfect recipe where you have kids, they’re excited to be there, they’re excited to learn, they know that all their teachers are looking out for their best interests, you have parents who are totally involved, just all, “What do you need? I’ll do it for you. I’ll give it to you,” and then we’ve got the most amazing staff, these people who are constantly bettering themselves. They always want to learn more. They always want to get better.
Wes Kriesel: I love that.
Mark: It’s inspiring, you know? And it’s like, Pam Miller, who ended up being his AP, and Julia Barr, they used to—I don’t remember which one of them—would say like, “Yeah, working at Beechwood, it’s like working with 25 homecoming queens,” and it’s true! It’s like everybody just…
Wes Kriesel: Unpack that a little bit.
Mark: [00:22:17 unintelligible] know about that [00:22:18 unintelligible] because, yeah, I don’t know [00:22:19 how he’s going to feel]
Marisa: He can be considered a homecoming queen. No, just like everybody is just topnotch, and so it makes you want to be topnotch, too.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, yeah.
Marisa: You know? It’s just inspiring. It’s this team of people who just make you want to be better [00:22:33 unintelligible], you know?
Wes Kriesel: I love that.
Marisa: And Parks is phenomenal, too. It was just like, Beechwood felt like my place, you know?
Wes Kriesel: Oh, that’s great.
Marisa: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: So, I’ve interviewed a lot of teachers and it’s interesting that that sense of community, that sense of almost home, it’s interesting how we’re all different as teachers and we find a different place. I’m interested, like Mark, you’ve been at Parks for…
Mark: Twenty-five years now.
Wes Kriesel: Twenty-five years.
Mark: Twenty-five years, yeah.
Wes Kriesel: So, what is it about Parks that fit you.
Mark: Oh, wow. You know, like Marisa, initially the staff, it was an old staff. I remember when I got my job at Parks, everybody asked me who died, because nobody left Parks. They stayed there till they retired, and I was the new kid on the block, you know?
Wes Kriesel: They’re like, “How did you get this job?” yeah, yeah.
Mark: Yeah, exactly. Yeah, and I did get the job kind of at the last minute, too. I had been told a health position had been filled and evidently the teacher during the summer took a job at a private school, and I came for the interview and I ended up getting a job. So, I felt lucky to be there and I’ve always felt lucky to be at Parks. It is a fantastic school.
Marisa: Yeah.
Mark: The initial staff that surrounded me was just helpful in every way imaginable. And then, I become that guy now. I am the old guy. I’m the veteran, you know, and everybody from the original group for the most part is gone and it still has carried on that feel. And you know, Wes, really, a lot of it has to do with the kids, the kids in that community, and I really do feel a tight bond with the community and I do a lot of things outside of school and you’ve met me at a few things, Robot Nation…
Marisa: Voice of Parks.
Mark: The voice of Parks.
Wes Kriesel: You do morning announcements?
Mark: I do morning announcements.
Wes Kriesel: Okay.
Mark: So, the kids know me from that. I emcee the basketball game at Beechwood now.
Wes Kriesel: Oh, you do?
Mark: Yeah.
Marisa: I sucked him in, yeah.
Mark: I do the Beechwood game and I do the Parks game, and I used to coach Parks game. And now that I’ve had so many kids, I’ve had almost 10,000 kids in my career, they’re everywhere. I can’t go anywhere, Marisa and I both, and not run into kids that we’ve had.
Marisa: It’s true. Always.
Wes Kriesel: So, let’s back up a little bit.
Mark: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: So, you were initially a new teacher…
Mark: Right.
Wes Kriesel: And now you’re describing how you’re embedded in the community, you’re doing all these things, even at Beechwood.
Mark: Right.
Marisa: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: So, what was the first step outside, “I’m just teaching from eight to three,” like when you start announcing things? Talk about that step because not every teacher is going to just jump out and volunteer, which I think is great. I mean, it’s enriching for you and others. But, what made you volunteer or…?
Mark: You know, Wes, my dad was like–I’m a lot like my dad in that respect. I think he really was an influence on me.
Wes Kriesel: Okay, tell me more about that.
Mark: You know, he passed away a while ago but…
Wes Kriesel: I’m sorry.
Mark: That’s okay. He was the guy you wanted to do—he volunteered to do anything, you know? And I can’t even tell you all the stuff he was involved with, or even talking about volunteering at school this month—it’s kind of volunteer month—and they asked me in an email, “Does anybody have a dad who did stuff?” my dad did everything. I mean, he was involved with The Gas Company, Toastmasters, Kiwanis Club, Lions Club, Rotary Club. He was the president of Little League, coached all my athletics when I was young. He was a mentor for a kid that was in a detention facility for a while and he would just go mentor him and he was like a big-brother-type program, and he did this while he was raising two boys and having a family. And even the Booster Club at Glendale High School, he was in charge of the pancake breakfast, which was a massive ordeal.
Wes Kriesel: Right? Oh my gosh.
Mark: We’d have orange juice for six months afterwards because it did go into the pancake breakfast, so he’d shove it in our refrigerator. That’s what we were drinking. So, he was that kind of guy. He was an outgoing guy and he really—
Wes Kriesel: I love that, yeah.
Mark: I do feel he’s in me.
Marisa: So, he started doing like the Cartoon Club and…
Mark: But, you know what? When I came in, Wes, it was, “What can I do to keep this job?” There was that fear of, “I may not have this job next year. What do I need to do to make sure I’m working at Parks next year?” And I was coaching, I was running clubs, I was doing every extracurricular thing I could think of to say, “We want this guy back next year.”
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. Let me just stop you.
Mark: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: I love that attitude, that mindset, that, “Go get it.” That’s irreplaceable, you know? I love that.
Marisa: I think we both came into teaching where there was like, “Oh geez.”
Mark: Yeah. It wasn’t guaranteed we’d be working, yeah.
Marisa: We both had that mindset like, yeah, “We could lose it tomorrow, so yeah, tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, make yourself valuable.
Mark: Right. Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, I love that. You mentioned Cartoon Club. Did I hear you right?
Marisa: Yeah, you have a club, right?
Mark: I started with the Cartoon Club my first year.
Marisa: Oh, and he has the SMAC Club.
Mark: Well, let me just say this: The Cartoon Club, the first year I did that, I had 180 kids sign up for that and I had to do three different sessions with—well, 180 signed up, 90 ended up coming to the club, so I had three different sessions with 30 kids apiece. And the whole idea was I would teach the kids cartooning and then we would design a club t-shirt and I would put as many of the kids’ drawings on the shirts as I can, and it was a great activity for the kids.
Wes Kriesel: Oh, that’s awesome. I love that.
Mark: Yeah. And at Parks, we had a lot of great artists, so the kids just really clung to that one.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah.
Mark: And then, after about 10 years, I said, “You know, I want to try something else,” and I ended up doing now what’s called the SMAC Club, which stands for Sport in Movies Appreciation Club.
Wes Kriesel: Sport in Movies Appreciation Club.
Mark: Sport in Movies Appreciation Club. I got rid of the i, SMAC, just to try and abbreviate.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. And this is—walk me through it.
Mark: We meet once a week at lunchtime and we watch sports-related movies that are inspirational, Rudy, Hoosiers.
Wes Kriesel: Oh my gosh. This is a great club.
Mark: The Natural. Victory, which you may not know…
Wes Kriesel: Remember the Titans.
Mark: I don’t show that one but yes, that was a good one.
Wes Kriesel: No? You don’t like that one? Okay. Sorry.
Mark: Invincibles, one of the new football ones.
Wes Kriesel: [00:28:39 unintelligible] I don’t know.
Mark: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Friday Night Lights.
Mark: Friday Night Lights, I don’t do that.
Wes Kriesel: No, we don’t do that.
Mark: I have to be careful. You got to be careful with what you show.
Wes Kriesel: No, I’m just trying to bond.
Mark: Thank you. Oh, but I—Here Comes the Boom. Have you seen that one with Craig James?
Wes Kriesel: No.
Mark: No, is it Kevin James?
Marisa: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Kevin James. No, I haven’t seen it.
Mark: It’s great. He’s saving his music program at school by becoming a mixed martial arts fighter, and it’s funny, and believe or not, he is believable as a mixed martial arts guy. He’s heavy but he looks the part. He’s athletic.
Wes Kriesel: That’s cool. That’s cool.
Mark: Watch it. I guarantee you’ll like it. Henry Winkler’s in it, too, if that sells it.
Wes Kriesel: So, on the podcast, we like to tie things to the themes of innovation, risk-taking trying things new. I’ve never heard of a club like this before, so can you explain where the idea came from?
Mark: I love sports movies, Wes. How about that?
Marisa: Duh.
Mark: I mean, do I have to be more technical than that?
Wes Kriesel: Okay. So, let me stop.
Mark: Okay.
Wes Kriesel: Listeners, if you love something and you’re passionate about it and you can tie it to your teaching, you can enrich that community just like the SMAC Club. Yeah, that’s great. That’s great.
Marisa: Of course.
Mark: You know why? I’m glad you said that because when I first came to Parks, they wanted me to do the Just Say No Club. Just Say No. That was a big push at that time, Just Say No Club. And I went to my principal, I said, “You know, I teach that in my curriculum. Do you want me to do a club about that, too?” Because I said, “To be honest, I just don’t feel like I need to do that twice. I’m doing it at school and I do get most of the kids at school anyway.” And I said, “How about I do—I like cartooning. I can do some sketch drawing.” And I said, “Do you mind if I do something like this? It’s something I’m a little more passionate about.” He’s like, “Go for it.” And the turnout was fantastic, so I think he appreciated my efforts. But, I agree with what you said, go with what your passion is. And I know Dr. Pletka talks about that all the time, passion projects, okay? And this is one of my passion—so I can run a club but I enjoy it at the same time.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. So, Marisa, you are on board that you’re shaking your head. What have you seen at Beechwood where teachers are, or you for example, like running with their passions or infusing it into their curriculum? How does that resonate with you? Is it dance?
Marisa: Well…
Mark: [Laughs]
Wes Kriesel: Mark, you’re not supposed to…
Mark: That’s a great idea. No, I like that.
Wes Kriesel: [Laughs]
Marisa: I mean, that would be cool.
Mark: I like a dance club.
Wes Kriesel: You know, oh gosh, when you get into clubs, that’s kind of hard because…
Wes Kriesel: It doesn’t have to be clubs, just that idea of bringing kind of your own passion…
Marisa: Oh my gosh, yeah, everyone does. I feel like, especially in our middle school team, Ruben Reed is totally into, who’s that guy who writes The Hobbit?
Mark: I don’t know. He’s in…
Mark: Tolkien.
Marisa: Tolkien.
Mark: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, a lot of crazy stuff.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah.
Marisa: And so, he brings that into his curriculum and…
Wes Kriesel: He infuses Lord of the Rings stuff into the curriculum?
Wes Kriesel: Yes. Yeah. When he can, yeah.
Mark: Oh, to a nauseating degree.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. To a nauseating…
Marisa: Oh, stop it. Stop it.
Mark: I’m a friend of Ruben’s, so if he hears this, he knows I’m just kidding.
Marisa: But, no, I just feel like everybody does, you know?
Wes Kriesel: That’s interesting.
Marisa: I feel like all of my coworkers do in their own little way, you know?
Wes Kriesel: Uh-huh.
Marisa: I mean, [00:31:43 Ward and Anne,] they have a running club. Did you know that?
Mark: I did not know that.
Wes Kriesel: Oh.
Marisa: Speaking of running, I don’t know why people run for fun, but they do.
Wes Kriesel: So, teachers have a running club for students?
Marisa: Yeah, yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Oh, that’s great.
Wes Kriesel: But, I feel like everybody at our school is passionate and they try and integrate it in their own way. Now, middle school and elementary, we don’t see each other a lot because we have totally opposite schedules, but…
Wes Kriesel: So, listeners, Marisa’s putting her hands widely spaced out and kind of searching for words.
Marisa: Sorry.
Wes Kriesel: So, the middle school and elementary, they’re not on the same…
Marisa: Our schedules are totally the opposite, so it’s almost like what they’re doing in their world I’m not totally 100% sure of, but I admire every piece of it.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, yeah.
Mark: Although, there are K8. There is that division between junior high and elementary, just a natural occurrence.
Wes Kriesel: Sure. Yeah.
Mark: And you know, Wes, I kind of see where you’re going with this with her bringing her passion to the table, but I’m going to tell you, if you saw her teach, you’d see where her passion was.
Wes Kriesel: That’s right. You talked about the technology and just being…
Mark: Oh my gosh. Yeah, that is her passion, and she tries…
Wes Kriesel: Yeah.
Mark: I don’t want to get myself in trouble here but, I mean, she’s pushing me in that direction.
Wes Kriesel: Go for it.
Marisa: [00:32:59 Get in] trouble.
Wes Kriesel: Please.
Mark: I am not where she is at by any means and she’s trying to get me there, and oftentimes she’ll try and help me get to another level of technology and then I get lost and I can’t find where I’m at, and then I get frustrated and I want to go back to where I was. She is pushing the envelope constantly when it comes to technology at her school.
Marisa: From his perspective, but I don’t know.
Mark: Well, okay, from my perspective. I see it at home. I see what she does at home. I see what she does at home to get it to her classes and her kids the next day. Her fashion is in teaching.
Marisa: Thank you. Thanks.
Mark: It really is. It really is.
Wes Kriesel: That’s a good transition. I did some interviews with people that you suggested.
Mark: Oh. Okay.
Wes Kriesel: And so, I asked them a couple of questions so I could prepare to do a good job on the interview, on the podcast.
Mark: All right.
Wes Kriesel: What I found is I didn’t really need so much help with you because you’re going strong.
Mark: Oh.
Wes Kriesel: So, we’re 32 minutes in and…
Marisa: Uh-oh. We need to cut it off.
Mark: Is it time to wrap it up?
Wes Kriesel: No, we’re going to do some lightning rounds.
Mark: Oh.
Marisa: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: So, I’m going to shoot out some things they said.
Mark: Okay.
Wes Kriesel: So, one of the things we’re going to do is I asked people, “What’s one word for Marisa or Mark?” So, I’m just going to share a word and then you have to say whether you think it’s about you or about your spouse.
Marisa: Okay.
Mark: All right, great. I love this.
Wes Kriesel: Okay? Yeah. Okay.
Mark: By the way, did I tell you I was on Family Feud one time, years ago?
Wes Kriesel: No.
Mark: Okay.
Marisa: He blew it.
Mark: I’m good at these game shows. Yeah, I sucked.
Marisa: He blew it.
Mark: I blew it. But, anyway.
Marisa: Anyway. Lightning round.
Mark: Yes, go.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. Shall I tell you who said it? Would that help?
Marisa: No, don’t.
Wes Kriesel: That would give it away.
Mark: Yeah, that’d probably give it away.
Marisa: Don’t give it away.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. So, the word is committed.
Mark: I hope that’s both of us.
Wes Kriesel: That’s not how we play the game, Mark.
Mark: No? Committed.
Marisa: Committed.
Wes Kriesel: Who do you think it is?
Marisa: Oh, no.
Mark: I’m going to say Marisa. Marisa.
Marisa: I’m thinking me, but it’s not like he’s not.
Mark: Yeah, that’s what I said. But, I think Marisa.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. Next word—I’ll tell you the answers—passionate.
Mark: Marisa.
Marisa: Me.
Mark: Without a doubt. That is a no-brainer.
Wes Kriesel: Interesting, interesting. Gracious.
Mark: Me. The Mark is a gracious guy.
Marisa: Mark, yeah. Mark.
Mark: And humble. And humble, too.
Wes Kriesel: And humble.
Mark: Yes. Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Here’s another one: Passion.
Marisa: Oh.
Mark: Not passionate? Okay, well…
Marisa: I would…when I hear…yeah…
Mark: There’s a little in both of us but, boy, Marisa is a very passionate person.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. What do you think?
Marisa: I agree, yeah.
Mark: It’s the Italian blood in her. She’s very passionate.
Wes Kriesel: Here’s another word: Passionate.
Mark: Oh my gosh, this seems to be a running theme.
Wes Kriesel: Do you think that’s Marisa again?
Mark: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. All right. Here’s another word: Opinionated.
Mark: Marissa.
Marisa: Oh, me. Yeah.
Mark: Without a doubt.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. Now, this one, they didn’t specify the person.
Mark: Oh, okay.
Wes Kriesel: So, fun.
Mark: Marisa.
Marisa: No, I would say Mark.
Mark: No, Marisa’s more fun.
Marisa: Mark.
Mark: I may be more funny at times, but…
Wes Kriesel: And this is, it’s slash – fun/happy.
Mark: Well, I hope that’s both of us, but yeah.
Marisa: I think it’s you.
Wes Kriesel: All right, we’re going to trade papers and we’re going to score your quizzes.
Mark: How’d we do, Wes?
Wes Kriesel: So, Marie Chabanel?
Mark: Chabanel.
Marisa: Chabanel.
Wes Kriesel: Chabanel.
Mark: Yes.
Wes Kriesel: Okay. So, her word for Mark was committed.
Mark: Oh, okay.
Marisa: Oh, yeah. Yes.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, and for Marissa, it was passionate.
Mark: Very good.
Marisa: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: So, those were the first two words.
Mark: Okay.
Wes Kriesel: Now, so you’re a teacher at Parks?
Mark: Parks.
Marisa: Parks.
Wes Kriesel: Okay, so the next person we interviewed was Rollie.
Mark: Rollie Ham, old friend of mine.
Wes Kriesel: Rollie Ham. So, gracious was Mark and passion was Marisa.
Mark: Of course, yeah.
Marisa: We had those, right?
Mark: Yeah, I think we got that.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, yeah. Okay, and then, we interviewed Jessica DiLuigi.
Marisa: Ha ha, my sister-in-law.
Wes Kriesel: Your sister-in-law.
Marisa: She’s married to my brother.
Wes Kriesel: And she gave us two words, both for Marisa – passionate and opinionated.
Marisa: Yes, totally.
Mark: Okay, makes sense.
Wes Kriesel: Okay, and then one of the other questions we asked was a significant moment that kind of represents you or symbolizes you where you’re being you.
Mark: Oh.
Marisa: Oh.
Wes Kriesel: So, I’m just going to share that, because she said during family gatherings she, Marissa, her mom, and her sister, have very spirited political discussions and—parentheses—and they have similar opinions.
Mark: They do.
Wes Kriesel: So, you agree with each other but you’re having spirited political discussions?
Marisa: We do, yeah. It’s like we’re debriefing. Yeah, we do, we do, we do.
Wes Kriesel: Okay, okay. All right. And our last one was Jason DiLuigi.
Marisa: Mm-hmm. My brother.
Wes Kriesel: Your brother? Okay. So, he just wrote fun/happy, so I don’t know.
Marisa: That’s both of us.
Wes Kriesel: That’s both of you.
Mark: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: I would have to agree.
Mark: Jason’s a man of few words, yeah.
Marisa: But, we have our most fun and are the most happy when we’re with him and Jess.
Mark: I agree. So, we’ve traveled with them. We’ve had some really good times with them.
Marisa: So, it makes sense.
Mark: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: So, that’s actually interesting because that came through—so, I’ll just read this back to you and get a little bit of commentary.
Mark: Oh, commentary.
Marisa: Oh.
Wes Kriesel: So, we asked Jessica what’s a significant moment.
Mark: Right.
Wes Kriesel: No, I’m sorry. It was bonus question. So, the third question was, “Tell me anything to help me do a good job on the podcast.” So, Jessica wrote, “We love hanging out with Marisa and Mark. We have a lot of fun at family gatherings and traveling together. We hang out locally at Disneyland, OC Fair, go to dinners. We’ve been to New Orleans, Louisiana, Alaska, Indiana, laugh together and at each other (mostly at Mark).”
Mark: Ugh [00:38:13 unintelligible]
Wes Kriesel: I don’t know about that.
Mark: That’s an inside joke [00:38:16 unintelligible] Jessica.
Wes Kriesel: She said she’s lucky to have you both in “our lives.”
Mark: Well, thank you. We feel the same way.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, we feel the same way. We do.
Wes Kriesel: So, that’s interesting. Do you have a favorite moment of hanging out with Jessica?
Marisa: I feel like our best times are when we travel with them.
Mark: We’ve had some really good times, New Orleans being on the head of the list.
Marisa: But, it’s the most fun when our kids aren’t there.
Wes Kriesel: Okay.
Mark: That’s part of it, too. Yeah, without kids it’s a different experience, you know? And they’re just great, they’ve got a great sense of humor, and I feel like we’re able to relate to them very well.
Marisa: It’s lucky.
Mark: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: It’s lucky.
Mark: It’s easy. When we go out with them, it’s very easy.
Wes Kriesel: That’s great.
Mark: Yeah, it makes it very nice.
Wes Kriesel: I love that. I’m going to go back to what you said that Beechwood, like just sort of having this collegiality of people and you’re like, “Oh, I want to do as well as they are. They’re doing so well.” So, that kind of collegial spirit, to me, like what I remember in my like reading scholarly research about teaching, collegiality is actually linked to student achievement.
Marisa: Really?
Mark: Absolutely.
Wes Kriesel: The staff that gets along gets things done for students.
Mark: That’s true. That’s very true.
Marisa: That makes sense.
Wes Kriesel: So, what is it when you’re with her or them that makes it easy to be with? What is that bond? I’m just looking for a link to the classroom, but just what, is it humor, is it…?
Marisa: Yeah, definitely.
Mark: Yeah, it could be humor.
Marisa: Definitely humor, for sure.
Mark: I’ve often said once the kids stop laughing at my jokes, it’s time to hang it up. Yeah, and I seriously believe that.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah.
Marisa: But, Jessica’s a teacher, too, and so she also brings out that sort of inspiration.
Mark: Now, I’m confused. Relating to school or them?
Wes Kriesel: Were you talking about Jessica?
Wes Kriesel: No, that’s fine.
Mark: Oh, okay.
Wes Kriesel: I’m going to relate it to school.
Mark: Oh, you are? Okay.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, because you talked about humor when you’re out together with friends, but then you tied it right away to humor in the classroom, which I think is a brilliant insight.
Mark: Right. It is. I’ve told that to anybody who wants to get into teaching. Especially junior-high level, you have to have a sense of humor or you go crazy.
Marisa: You do, you do, for sure.
Mark: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. And the interesting thing about how humor relates to innovation is you can’t tell old jokes.
Mark: Right.
Wes Kriesel: I mean, when the students hear it for the first time, it’s new to them and it’s funny.
Mark: Right. Right.
Wes Kriesel: But, it’s interesting, you said there’s this moment where it’s not working anymore.
Mark: Right.
Wes Kriesel: So, your jokes don’t work with the fresh class, it’s time to hang it up.
Mark: Right.
Wes Kriesel: But, humor works because it’s surprising, and something surprises because they’re new.
Marisa: Right.
Mark: Absolutely. Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: They’re different. They’re unusual. They’re ironic.
Mark: Right.
Wes Kriesel: So, it’s interesting that…
Mark: Can we just say real quick, Wes, that rumbling in the background is a train right outside your office?
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, there is a train outside.
Mark: They’ve really set you up here nice.
Wes Kriesel: Thanks, Mark.
Mark: Yeah. We’re right next to Amtrak.
Marisa: Really ruining this podcast. Come on.
Mark: No.
Wes Kriesel: I don’t think anyone would have noticed the deep rumbling.
Mark: Really? I’m looking at it through the window here, so it’s a little distracting.
Marisa: No, you’re right.
Wes Kriesel: But, I see what you’re saying, but you know, I have a semester class, so I’m getting a fresh group of kids every few months, every four months or five months. So, that aspect keeps things fresh for me, and I’ve said it over and over like I say for 25 years now, six times a day and twice a year, but I still get good reaction from the kids. So, I feel like, “Okay, it’s still working.”
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, yeah.
Mark: You know? With Jay and Jess, that’s a different story. I mean, I tend to fabricate a little bit, I tell some tall tales at times, and they found that one of my tells…
Marisa: Yeah, he’s a big BSer.
Wes Kriesel: Somebody did mention storytelling and Mark.
Mark: Yes.
Wes Kriesel: He’s a born storyteller.
Mark: Jessica actually informed me that I have a tell.
Wes Kriesel: No, I informed her.
Mark: Oh, you did? Okay, and I found that when I start telling something that may not be truthful, I raise my shoulder.
Wes Kriesel: Yes. We call those lies but maybe you’re talking about something else.
Mark: Today, who knows?
Wes Kriesel: [00:41:55 We’re just stretching it.] Tall tale.
Mark: Yeah, yeah. Tall tale. Yeah, but I tend to raise my shoulder and I lean in a little and that means it’s not true.
Wes Kriesel: You raise your shoulders? Mark, your shoulders have been up the whole podcast.
Mark: Okay. I’ve been trying to work on that, but that’s what I’m telling you, yeah.
Wes Kriesel: I just want our listeners to know. So, anything else related to like when you’re at fun—when you’re at fun—when you’re with your friends, you’re at ease, you’re having fun, anything that makes those relationships work? Humor’s one, and there’s definitely a tie-in to the classroom. Anything else?
Wes Kriesel: Well, I mean, I guess I feel like in the classroom, when we’re being us, I think that’s what makes you the most effective teacher. I feel like that’s what makes both of us the most effective teacher.
Mark: Yeah, I think anytime you can share something about you with the kids, it’s a positive thing, and the kids retain that.
Wes Kriesel: No, they do.
Marisa: [00:42:47 unintelligible]
Mark: The kids come back to me after years, “I remember that story you told,” skin cancer stuff. I’ve been through a lot of things that I’m trying to help the kids to prevent them from going through what I’ve been through. I got in the sun a lot when I was a kid. I played sports. So, I’m dealing with that now and, you know, when I share my stories, they’ll remember that years later. “I remember you telling me that story.” And that’s what I think a lot of teachers don’t understand, is add some of yourself to your curriculum, you know?
Wes Kriesel: Yeah.
Marisa: So, being authentic in the classroom and being authentic with your friends, it’s like the same, I think.
Mark: Right. Yeah, and the kids want that stuff.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. I think that’s a really good insight and both of you do that. You just walked in, this has been very effortless, so I think, not that I’ve had any terribly hard podcast interviews, but I think that that sort of just is something that’s easy for you to do.
Mark: Right.
Wes Kriesel: I don’t know, it seems like it is, and it seems like students would pick up on that authenticity.
Mark: Well, Wes, to your credit, you’ve made this very easy. This has been very low-stress. We feel like we’re talking to a friend.
Marisa: Yeah.
Mark: I feel like I’ve known you a while and we really just officially met today.
Marisa: I know.
Wes Kriesel: I know. Yeah, that’s true. That’s true.
Mark: So, you’re very easy to talk to, yeah.
Wes Kriesel: I’ve looked up to you for years.
Mark: Well, thank you.
Marisa: How could you not? The voice of Parks.
Mark: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: And the voice of Robot Nation, yeah.
Mark: Yeah, the voice of Robot Nation.
Wes Kriesel: Seriously, I told you this on Back to School Night, Marisa, like your joke-telling, I google…
Mark: Did you laugh?
Wes Kriesel: Oh, yeah.
Mark: Okay, because I…
Wes Kriesel: And then, I had to emcee an event like the next month and it was at the zoo for our fourth-grade iPersonalize, and I just googled animal jokes., and between all our student speakers…
Mark: Yeah.
Marisa: That’s a page right from Mark Mark’s playbook.
Mark: That’s third grade.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, I took that from you, so thank you.
Mark: Third grade is about a good area. Just look for third-grade jokes and you’ll be…
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. I put clean in there.
Marisa: They’re funny for everyone.
Mark: Yeah, clean. But, yeah, third grade is usually clean.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. And that was, I mean, that was a great thing I learned from just observing you.
Mark: Well, thank you.
Wes Kriesel: Just interject the humor. Keep it coming.
Mark: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah.
Mark: Even if they don’t get it.
Wes Kriesel: Even if they don’t get it.
Marisa: It works.
Mark: I find sometimes, Wes, the parents are laughing more than the kids and I’m okay with that.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah, that’s a wine.
Mark: At least, if somebody’s laughing, I’ve done something right, yeah.
Wes Kriesel: Well, this is our longest podcast ever.
Marisa: Sorry.
Mark: I’m so sorry.
Wes Kriesel: But, there’s more of us, so, hey.
Marisa: He’s longwinded, so sorry about that.
Mark: Yeah.
Wes Kriesel: So, I just want to say, thank you!
Marisa: Thank you.
Mark: Thank you, Wes.
Wes Kriesel: I’m shaking their hand, people.
Mark: Thank you very much.
Wes Kriesel: It’s been awesome.
Mark: This has been great. We enjoyed it.
Wes Kriesel: Yeah. Thanks.
Mark: All right.
Outro: This has been the Teacher Interview Podcast. Thank you for joining us. For the true fans who stuck around this long, we have one more treat for you from Mark Mark’s morning show.
[Music plays]
Mark Intro: He’s more than a mere man, more intelligent than an eighth-grader, able to leap inches in a single jump, funny, and unforgettable. It’s Mr. Sonny!
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"He’s more than a mere man, more intelligent than an eighth-grader, able to leap inches in a single jump, funny, and unforgettable. It’s Mr. Sonny!"
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"And I happened to have a great professor who heard me give a presentation one time, and he said, “Have you thought about teaching?” He said, “You really had an impact on the class and they were riveted on every word you were saying,” and I just took that and ran with it."
