The copy machine has had no staples for days, maybe since the start of the year for all I know. The secretary just tells people there are no staples, seemingly astonished that anyone does not know that by now. She clearly does not care. There seems to be no one else to care. We staple, staple, staple. How many minutes are lost? Who is in charge of staples? But I am not going to raise a fuss. I’m new here. No one else seems inclined to fuss. Maybe they sense the futility of complaining.

Eduhonesty: Capable secretaries are essential to a well-run school. Richer districts can pay more and provide more help for the support staff. Secretaries often stay for decades in our more affluent school districts while they turn over frequently in other, less fortunate districts. In five years in this district, I’ve seen many secretaries come and go, some good, some scary. At times it’s funny, like when we discover there’s no phone tree for a snow day because the secretary in charge of that task left for a better job. Other times its annoying. I stapled maybe 100 tests today.