5 Pennies - Day 32

1. Got coffee supplies for another customer
            So here's the situation- I was putting together my coffee at a local convenience store when I noticed that another person was making their coffee. I just reached for an extra lid, sugar, & cream - this that I knew that they were going to use. It was just something really simple.

2. Gave custodian at school a simple present that related to his favorite sports team
           So I decided that within this 5 pennies adventure I would take the time to really get to know the other staff members within my building. As I have told you before, I am a music teacher in a small little middle school in the middle of the cow/corn field. There are around 80 staff members within the building and although I know the majority of their first names - wouldn't use many of them because it isn't professional - and what they teach; I don't know much about them. Grant it, there are a few that I would consider friends and even fewer that I would consider close friends; but basically the majority of them I do not know anything about. So I decided that it was about time that I learned. Yes, this anti-socialist is learning about others - at least for a little bit. So my secondary 5 pennies ground rules:
          1. Learn one fact about each staff member
          2. Buy them or find them an inexpensive gift that is less that $5 including tax
          3. Do not tell them - a surprise
          4. Observe their personal behavior post gift
          5. Observe if this penny project rubs off and creates a positive social climate change
So the custodian that does my room is the first person. He is a good guy that works hard at his job, does a fantastic job at keeping my room wonderful, and of course loves the cowboys. So I got him a drinking cup that had the cowboys football logo and filled it full of candy. I put it at his desk in his office with his name on a note + a smiley face :-)
He recognized my handwriting and later thanked me. Well, 4 out of 5 rules were kept!

3. Laminated another Teacher's materials
           So at the beginning of the school year we teachers are a unique breed. We purchase materials and automatically want to laminate it so we can have it for all of eternity. Those of us that are new laminate 2x as much just to catch up to those of us that are veterans. This school year we have only a couple of new teachers that are joining the staff. I figured that it was a nice opportunity to learn about them and do them a favor by laminated their materials. I was also waiting for the copier machines to warm up in the teacher's work room. So I was just using my time efficiently.

4. Gave my computer/technology software package to another teacher within school building.
            I knew that as much as I wanted to use this particular technology, I just did not have the use or the time to learn/implement within my classroom. So I gave it away for it to be used by someone else.

5. Put away abandoned shopping basket
            It still amazes me that people just don't put away shopping carts and baskets at the grocery store. Something simple that could be done within minutes. Are people just that lazy? I'm sure that there is another explanation for this occurrence.