This is only a test...

Today was insane at work.

Tomorrow my entire depart is giving our district's standardized tests, which happens at the end of every quarter. Our department met a couple weeks ago and decided to rewrite our tests since some of the standards had changed. We met again last week and finished the test. We sent it off to be printed. Being such a large order, we have to send it off to the printing department for the district.

We received word this morning that the tests had been shipped to our school and should arrive this afternoon. The day came and went. At the end of the day I went to one of my colleagues, basically the co-chair of the department (even though we officially don't have department chairs...someone has to be the go-to person). My colleague told me that she had not seen the tests yet, and she had been trying to call the printer to see if they could tell us where the tests were. This would be the day that no one in the printing department would answer the phone.

I went to the principal to explain the situation. I told her that I will run to the printer and to the central office to see if I can locate the tests. I left the school at about 3:15. I went to the printer, to the central office, and back to the printer...NO LUCK. It looked hopeless at that point.

I got back to the school and delivered the bad news to the principal. She was starting to panic asking me what we needed to do. I told her that I will run the copies on the big bad copier machine if I can get a key to the room and an access code to it. She asked me if I could run that bad boy. Honestly, I am the tech guru at the school...of course I can run it! She didn't hesitate...gave me the key.

I better back up for a second and explain something. Our secretary that does all of the school's copying is on leave for a few weeks, so there really is no one who has been trained on this beast of a copier machine. It is new, it is complicated, but it is AWESOME! Since she is out, we have been sending all of our printing requests to the printing department. Takes longer, but it gets done.

No one is really allowed to use the Beast unless they have been trained. However, I guess the principal trusts me enough to let me in the copier room. I started making copies at about 5 PM. I had to make 600+ copies of this test. The counter said I made 1975 copies. They were sorted, stapled, and in class sets by 5:30. I told you...the BEAST is awesome.

I promise the story has an interesting twist coming up...stay with me!

I took the tests to each of the science teacher in our grade. I placed their tests on the teachers' desks. I got to the last teacher's room, and you will never guess what sent me over the edge?!?! Under this teacher's desk was a box from the printing department.

YES! It was the copies of the test we had been searching so hard to find for hours.

I just stood there looking at that unopened box just thinking about how I had just wasted 3 hours of my life trying to make sure we were all going to be okay to give the tests tomorrow. How could she just let those tests set in the box and not distribute them. She has been at the school just as long as I have. Our teachers will panic and go into fits if they don't have their tests. I decided to just shrug my shoulders, shake my head, and walk out. It is not worth going crazy over it.

The principal called me at home this even just to check and make sure I was able to get the copies. I told her that I had copied, sorted, stapled, and delivered them to each classroom. She was relieved. There was absolutely NO WAY I was going to tell her that I saw the box in my colleague's room.

I will say this though...we have a department meeting tomorrow afternoon. I am anxious to see if my colleague will confess to having the tests in her room the entire time. Will she admit that they were still sealed up? My prediction is that she will sit on the information for a while until everything calms down. Honestly, I don't care if she does or does not say anything. I just know that I had to get these tests done at all costs.

Tomorrow is another day. Now, I am off to bed.

Hope everyone is doing well. Take care!
- JC

As I look at the post I just wrote, I am sitting here laughing and shaking my head. It is hilarious to me that I would even take the time to write about this fiasco that occurred this evening. But, maybe someone will get a laugh out of it. In retrospect, I have not stopped laughing yet.