Your One-Person Genius Bar

(I’m a library media specialist at a K-8 school. I also repair and setup all technology in the building. A second grader has been sent to fetch me by his teacher.)

Student #1: “Miss! Teacher needs you to come and fix the sound.”

Me: “All right, let’s go.” *we get to the class* “What’s the problem, Señor?”

(Even if the students tell me the problem, I always double-check with the teacher since the younger ones aren’t the best messengers.)

Teacher: “I can’t get the sound on my computer to work on the overhead projector.”

(I start checking out the knot of wiring behind his desk to make sure everything is connected correctly. Behind me, the students are talking while they wait for the video they’re about to watch to work.)

Student #2: “How’d you learn to do the computers?”

Me: “Well, I learned most of it by playing around and seeing what works. Some I learned in school. Anything else, I look up online.”

Student #2: *to another student* “She’s a genius!”

Student #3: “What’s a genius?”

Student #2: “She is!”

Student #3: “No! WHAT’S a genius?

Student #4: “The smartest person in the world!”

(By now, after digging through tangled cords I can see all the outputs are going to input ports and vice versa – an easy mistake for the teacher to make since the system the antiquated overhead projectors need to use is pretty convoluted. The music I had running on Windows Media Player starts playing through the ceiling speakers.)

Class: “YAY!”

Student #2: “I told you she was a genius!”

Several Students: “Thank you, Miss Genius!”

(I had to post this since it was such an ego boost. I love my kids.)