Luckily we returned to school one day before the students this semester.  A breakfast buffet lined the library tables.  Teachers greeted each other with wishes of a happy new year.  Casual wear was the norm.  Slowly, with enough coffee in our systems to muster up the ability to face schedule changes and lesson planning, everyone moved out from the library to their rooms to begin preparing for the new semester.  And then slowly, everyone reappeared in the hallways. 

“I can’t get on the internet.  Can you?” 

“Can’t check my email. Can you?” 

“Can’t access the server to make student schedule changes.” 

Boop. Boop. Boop. The PA sounded.  “Faculty and staff, the server is down for the entire region, not just our school.  We will let you know if it comes backup.”

If?  Did she say if it comes back up?  The teacher workday we all value so dearly had become a teacher walk around day.  Having become so reliant on technology,without it we were paralyzed. Regardless, at eight thirty the next morning we would need schedules and lessons for the eighteen hundred kids who would sleepily return to school after the holiday.   Yikes!

Turns out that some “trunk” had been cut, possibly by some construction work or something, according to the rumor.  The first news was that we would not be back to the land of Internet for a while, a week or more.  No access to student schedules.  No access to grade books, the attendance program, online lesson resources, or the district website with our curriculum guides. 

Plans were made for the three people with “elite access” to download student schedules at home, or at least with a personal wireless card,and then find a local printer that could handle a print job of four reams of paper.  Hmmm.  How long would that take?  At least we had a plan. 

About five hours into the day, we were granted a miracle.  The server was backup.  The problem was easily located and solved.  A sigh of relief was silenced by a frenzy of activity.  Schedules to change.  Lessons to write.  Rosters to print.  Power point presentations to share.  The peacefulness of the holiday break left behind, everyone scurried to prepare for the students’ impending arrival.  

Email messages boinged in offices.  Hallways emptied. Preparations were completed. But what would we have done had the server stayed down?  I dare not think.

Welcome back.

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