Jill was young and pretty. She thought she knew it all. She went to work for the city's school district as a paraprofessional. The salary was low, so she applied for an open position in Bookkeeping at the end of the school term a few months later.

Sara was the clerk at the city school. She was in her late fifties and had decided to retire early. All the administrators were out of town for a conference, so Sara was going to be alone in the school training Jill.

Since the school policy was that the staff not leave the building for lunch, Sara packed two lunches for her and Jill. Jill was told to report to work the first Monday after the school year ended for training at 7AM. She arrived in a tank top (which revealed a large, colorful tatoo) and flip flops at 7:45AM. Sara began the task of explaining the complicated office procedures. She asked Jill if she was familiar with Excel. Jill said yes. Sara began showing her the spreadsheets needed to complete her tasks. It only took a few minutes for Sara to realize that Jill had no idea what an Excel formula was. When Sara asked if she knew how to link worksheets and other folders, Jill was dumbfounded.

Sara arrived Tuesday at 7AM. When Jill arrived at 8:10AM, Sara explained that the hours were 7 to 3, and all bank deposits were made at the end of the day before the bank closed. Jill replied that it would be impossible for her to keep that schedule. At 11:30AM, Jill informed Sara she needed to leave and drive her niece to the doctor. She was gone for ninety minutes. She returned with a box of chicken wings and proceeded to eat lunch.

By Wednesday, as Sara was explaining what "smart number codes" were, Jill started to re-organize Sara's drawers and filing cabinets. Then, Jill slumped in a chair and asked if it was "always so slow" at the office. Jill told Sara her plan when she "took over". "The first thing I am going to do is talk to Dr. Simpson about taking on more duties. I just cannot sit here doing nothing. I'd go stir crazy." Sara just smiled.

By Thursday, Jill was bored and decided she understood the process. Sara printed out three accounts to reconcile. "These are book fines collected. You will need to reconcile with the Media Specialist at least once a month regarding lost library book fees," stated Sara. Jill said she would not deal with the Library staff. "I've had problems with that staff in the past, and I refuse to deal with them." Sara smiled and said: "OK, well, that was the last thing I had to show you. I guess we are through with training." Jill promptly sat down in Sara's chair and made a personal phone call. Sara went to the planning room and made a pot of coffee. She sat there going over some final accounting issues. A telephone call arrived for the clerk, and Jill went ahead and handled it . . . all wrong. She found Sara and asked for help.

Friday afternoon, Dr. Simpson and the administrative staff returned and Sara was given a luncheon. Sara handed over the office keys, and Dr. Simpson hugged her goodbye. Jill asked Sara for her phone number, in case she needed help.

Sara wrote down her number, and smiled. She wanted to tell Jill that she had missed an opportunity to pick a brain with thirty-five years of bookkeeping experience, but it seemed pointless. Sara walked down the school hall and said goodbye to everyone. Then she wondered how long Jill would last in the position.

Update: Jill resigned within three months. Sara was called and asked to return until a replacement could be found. Sara realized she sincerely missed the love and companionship of her humble, helpful co-workers and returned to work full time.

Learn more about this author, Fran Mascioli.
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