Mrs. Eisenberg Takes Note

For eleven years Sharon Eisenberg had been the principal of Queen Jennifer High School, and in that time she had learned the value of a good system. Her predecessor, Richard Hartney, imparted his wisdom on his final day at Queen Jeni (how the school was usually referred to). "Don't worry about small details. If you build a system that can protect the students, build up faculty, and foster education, then you have succeeded."

Mrs. Eisenberg lived by those words.

That's why, when the government approached her to be the first school in the district to implement the new retinal scanners for student control, she jumped at it. The system was foolproof, it was flawless, it would do everything she wanted. She would know who was at school, and for how long. If a student decided to sneak out of class, play hookie, Sharon Eisenberg would know it. If an unauthorized person tried to enter the school, she would know that too. Queen Jeni, with the new retinal system, was better.

As she often did in the morning, Mrs. Eisenberg was standing near the scanners, watching the read-outs as each student was scanned in. So far that week she had caught three **** dealers trying to gain access, and stopped eleven students from leaving without permission. This system would change lives. She couldn't imagine going back to the old way of doing things. She would do anything to avoid that.

Then something beeped on her tablet.

Eyes dropping to the read-out, Mrs. Eisenberg noticed the alert for a new student.

JO PARKS - FEMALE - 17

Smiling, she looked up to put a face to the name, but only found a surly looking man in his mid-twenties. What was he doing here? Sharon signalled to the security guard by the scanner to isolate the man, pull him into her office. He protested, of course, but once he was told that he would be meeting the principal, he seemed placated enough to be taken away.

Sharon pursed her lips and thought. The readouts were correct, the system wasn't in error, so what was she to do with this man? Small details... well, whatever she decided, she wouldn't sweat it... it was the system that mattered, not the details.