Well, that's the easiest $25 I've ever gotten

[jenett]

So, last week, I get copied in a fairly plaintive email chain from our math department chair asking for help getting a parent a particular article. They ask if I can help, and the request is backed by our overall Head of School (part of whose job is to make parents happy people.)

When I get a minute, I....
- Open a web browser
- Click through to our JSTOR link
- Search on the quite unique title.
- Save a copy as a PDF
- Write up a short but pleasant email saying "Here, please let me know if you have any problems, and I'll send a print copy." and attach the file.
- Go about the rest of my day.
(As in, this might have taken five minutes, including loading time on various pages.)

I have since:
- Gotten a very pleasant thank you from the parent.
- Got a glowing thank you from my head of school

... and just now, the parent walked in, introduced himself, and handed me a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble.

So, erm. Yes. There are days this school is a little schizophrenic (little direct support/understanding of the stuff that takes me hours of boring work, for example). But there are also days when five minutes makes someone completely happy and amazed.

Comments

[ckd]

Sometimes the little stuff isn't so little to the other people involved; I'm sure it would have taken most of the folks in that email chain more than five minutes, likely with a fair bit of frustration included in the mix.

[jenett]

Rather, yes.

And there's also a "Sorry to ask things of you during vacation" element here. Which is why I didn't say "Oh, you didn't need to" very firmly or anything. But still, one is periodically bemused.

(And then one goes back to moving massive numbers of books around. Oy.)