The "Hey Mr. Paper Man, Cut Some For Me" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished another summer’s worth of in-house printing for the Manheim Township School District.  Have been doing the summer printing jobs since 1968 when I first started teaching Graphic Arts at the high school.  For the first few summers the school district allowed me to hire a student to help with the printing chores and even thought I hired someone whom I had as a student in my printing class, I still had to review with them every job I asked them to do.  After a few years of that I asked if I could hire another teacher to help me over the summer.  Got the OK and asked Mike if he wanted to help me with the printing.  Mike lived a block from my house on Janet Avenue in Grandview Heights.  He also had two of my children as students when they attended Schaeffer Elementary School which was right around the corner from where I lived.  Mike had been working on the township playgrounds for a few summers and I new he didn’t enjoy the heat all summer.  After presenting him with my proposal he said, “But I don’t know how to run a printing press.”  “No problem,” I responded.  “I can teach you in no time.”  So Mike has been with me for close to 45 years now during the summer months printing hall passes, library notices, school stationery and envelopes for all the nine schools in the district, health room forms, disciplinary forms, bus garage tablets, and just about anything that is needed to keep the district running smoothly.  Both Mike and I are retired from our teaching positions, but the school hires us as independent contractors to continue doing what no one else in the district cares to do.  For Mike and I it is just as much fun as it is work.  We get to talk all summer about our families and about the good old times in the print shop.  Mike’s one daughter is getting married this year so I cut back on my hours to allow him to take up the slack and get some extra money to help pay for the wedding.  Went through myself and know the expense of a wedding. 

I do all the trimming of jobs at my house since about half a dozen years ago the school said that they weren’t allowed to have the guillotine paper cutter in the shop anymore due to insurance regulations.  So, I bought the cutter from them and put it in my garage.  Since my garage isn’t air-conditioned, I do most of the daily trimming in late evening when I can have the door open and the cool evening air help to keep me cool.  That is one job I really don’t enjoy, but is a necessary part of the printing process.  Well, today I made my last few cuts and will put it to rest for hopefully a few weeks.  But, one never knows what job one of the schools may have forgotten to give to us over the summer, and we will be called to duty once again.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.