So, I try to fix things. Part of my job as a teacher and media specialist, as well as just part of my personality is to want to try and solve problems. Sometimes, my warped brain sees thing and fixes them, but not like anybody else. Here is an example.
I’ve gone to bus duty every day since school started. I am not assigned bus duty, but since the media center isn’t open yet, I voluntarily do bus duty. Bus transportation is a mess, especially this first bit of school and the more hands on deck, the better. Well, here’s the problem. in case you haven't noticed, if you’ve been outside from say 2:45 – 4:30 lately it is HOT outside. And when you’re holding a sign or running kids back and forth or shouting “Look for your bus” it’s even hotter. (Today we shouted “Don’t look at the sun!”) The heat index last Thursday before bus duty was 106.
I love the AP that I serve bus duty with – she’s got the same sense of humor I do and we think a lot alike. Out testing coordinator and our Kindergarten grade chair both do bus duty every day as well. It’s like a little club. (If everyone would listen to us and do what we say, it would be better, but they won’t.)
So anyway, we stand around waiting and talk about how hot it is. They laugh at me and can’t figure out why I don’t look so hot. One ladies face turns really red and her hair gets all sweaty and they say I don’t look like that! I say it’s because I’m hot and sweaty all the time, I just don’t look any different. Here’s something else people don’t know. My job is a LOT more physical than most people think. I know, most people think I just sit around and read books all day but that is so not true. Since school started, I have averaged over 14000 steps a day – and that doesn’t count when I push a book cart around. Thursday and Friday, I moved/climbed over 111 boxes of textbooks! Today over 1400 pounds of books were delivered and I’ve gone through and moved the first pallet already. I do real, physical work. So, all that work and book moving and bus duty make me hot. Really, really sweaty hot. Not to be too gross, but sometimes so hot it makes it tricky to use the bathroom, because your underwear don’t behave like they are supposed to, because they are wet with sweat. So Friday morning, I noticed something, I had climbed over the boxes of books, ran from a cockroach and moved lots of boxes. I was hot and had to use the restroom. Again, at the risk of sharing too much, when trying to use the restroom, I almost slipped off the toilet seat, because I was so sweaty. So, my brain came up with this.
TA-DA!!! I call it “Slip-No-More.” It’s very simple actually. Two strips of shelf liner, one on each side of the toilet. I thought about just one strip instead of two, but I was afraid of a skid. It’s brilliant isn’t it? It keeps you from slipping off the commode onto the floor. It would be horribly embarrassing to fall off the toilet and hurt myself and either A) have to call an ambulance or B) explain that to the Workman’s Comp people.
I use shelf liner in the media center frequently (not those two strips. obviously.) I use it to keep books from sliding on book carts, to keep bookends from sliding, and to keep my document camera from sliding,It only makes sense it would keep ME from sliding as well.
I think I should patent it. Maybe I can make enough money to retire. What do you think?
