A Response Best Left Unsent

Dear Superior Computer Specialist:

Thank you for fixing my system log-in problem.

I appreciate your sympathy in my troubles with computers at your school. It was a rough couple of months there at first without my own logins and passwords for the server and attendance program. If you'll recall, I had to borrow them from other people, including the teacher with strangely spelled name whose classes I took over the second week of the quarter, and the school secretary who luckily logged off 15 minutes before I had to leave each night. After filing paper work twice, I was grateful to finally have my own logins and passwords. It was quite unfortunate that some sort of computer glitch erased all of my class rosters shortly after I was up and going. After the server went down for a week, I was relieved to find that I still existed on the system. I was beginning to feel quite unwanted there. I'm sure you can truly understand why each night I am a little afraid of what hassles I might have when I simply try to log onto the system so I can access the attendance program.

Anway, I appreciate your guidance in resolving my latest issue. I just wanted to let you know that I am well aware of the fact that when the computer indicates that I have only five logins to change my password before I am locked out, I should take that notice very seriously. In fact, when I see this type of notification, I immediately change my password. I’m not one to mess with such threats that prevent me from keeping copious electronic documentation on my students.

And by the way, thank you for the suggestions of passwords I might choose, but I think I have that covered.

The real puzzler here is that the oh-so smart computer never prompted me to change my password. I know I would have noticed something like that. Because, you see, I’m a writer, and I’m actually pretty observant. I could think of some reasons why I am in this predicament, and it possibly involves the fact that several other teachers use the same computer I do. Could there have possibly been another computer SNAFU at our school? I understand it didn't just happen to me.

Or, I just could be making lame excuses for myself because with my degree, I never learned how to read. And now that I think of it, in my minor coursework, Business Information Systems, where I spent 85% of my time working with computer systems, we never learned about changing passwords. I should probably alert my alma mater about this serious gap in my education.

In any case, now that you have labored for a few seconds to give me another chance to log in and change my password, I suppose I can be a good, silly-headed teacher who can figure it out this time.

I appreciate your condescending tone, and will be sure to add you to the list of people, which currently includes students, parents, administrators, and politicians, who think that teachers are complete fools. It is because of people like you that I try to remain humble every day in every way.

Again, thank you for your noble help and advice. As you know, our education system just cannot function without superior computer specialists. Keep up the good work!