I have heard that the true nature of a person reveals itself when “no one is looking.” There is no truer place where “no one is looking” than the elementary school copy machine.

            The two copy machines at my school churn out paper for over 600 students; they are always warm. Warm – like the teachers who stand in line waiting to use them as they ask, “Are you in a hurry? Do you want to step ahead of me?”

            And then there is that fifth grade teacher with a classroom right across from the hallway copy machine. I suspect he knows how and where the copier “clogs” just by the noise it makes.  After school, I’ll see another teacher standing there with the machine beeping and flashing, trying to decipher the “fix it” diagram on the machine display.   Ten to one —before the teacher finishes reading, that fifth grade teacher has already opened the doors, removed the jammed paper, pulled the levers, and restarted the job.

             Are you into corporate team building? Standing at our elementary school copy machine may be the most meaningful professional development opportunity out there.

            In fact, one of my most memorable learning moments as a new teacher happened at the copier. I remember waiting for my turn to use the copier as a “veteran teacher,” who was just a year or two from retirement was straightening his finished worksheet stack.  He looked so composed.  Yet for me, as the machine whirled, images of student behavior issues, new curriculum, and parent calls cranked through my mind—everything new; everything impossible.

          When it was my turn to use that machine, I lifted the tray to set my paper down on the glass.   Then, something sparkling caught my eye — two pieces of dark chocolate wrapped in pink foil resting on the ledge by the “start” button.

           “The dark kind is good for you,” he gently advised as he walked away.

-Patricia Steinmeyer