Computerized

I love my job as a school administrator at the district level. I manage innovative instructional programs and we're really begin to delve into public school choice models. One program that will begin its second year in the fall is an acceleration program for overage students. These at-risk kids have an opportunity to complete their eighth and ninth grade work in one year with the help of a fabulous group of teachers using a very unique software package that differientiates instruction. This puts most back on track graduate with the original cohort that they started kindergarten with.

Here's the issue...we can only take 80 students and we choose them by placing the names of all of the qualified students into a random lottery. The families receiving invitations to apply are always thrilled and often call just to let me know they got the letter. Some of them will be really DISAPPOINTED when their kids' names aren't pulled and will call me to tell me how I've ruined their lives. It's human nature to be disappointed, so I just listen and say how sorry I am and take whatever they dish out. They're almost always calm by the end of the conversation.

Anyhow...the other day an overjoyed mother called to let me know that she had mailed her "intent to apply" card back. We had a nice chat which ended with her saying...

I am SO excited that my boy Mike might have an opportunity to be in this program...He's shy and I think he'll do better in a smaller environment. We really like the idea of him being able to work at his own pace on the computer too...you know, my Mike...he's COMPUTERIZED!

I know she meant that he knows his way around the computer but for some reason I'm half expecting WALL-E to come rolling into the family interview...