Me vs. The Laminator

Or the alternate title: How I Got Beat Up By a Machine

I mentioned at the end of this post that I had a story that went with these folders. So for a recap, my desk at work is a disaster, I saw this on Pinterest, and thought I can do that:

So I brought a dish rack from home and I decided to make some folders to organize the disaster that is my desk.

I made 6 folders: one for each day of the week, one for my Leadership class, and one that I labeled "To Be Filed" to put all the random stuff I get that I need to do something with, but I don't want to deal with at the moment. The idea is that at the end of the week, I will put the next week's lesson plans in the day of the week folders, plus any materials/notes I need for it as well. That is a lovely idea.

Then I thought, "You should laminate the folders, so they last and look nice." So I walked down to the library on my prep, and began the laminating process. I turned on the machine, let it warm up, pressed "run" and sent my first folder through. As I watched it pass through, I thought things were going great, then I sent the next one through. As I grabbed the third one, I started to hear this noise. This clanging noise. It was loud. And obnoxious. Remember when I said I was in the library? Yeah, there were kids trying to get books, and the poor little 6th grader who was in there for a quiet place to work. Oops.

I stopped the machine and noticed that the folders had started to curl up and go back underneath one part of this machine. After letting the machine cool down (I was not about to fool around with a 300 degree piece of metal) the librarian and I got to work trying to undo the mess that I had made.

As the librarian went to help some kids check out books, I still messed with it trying to fix it. Then I sliced open my finger on the serrated blade. It hurt, but it wasn't deep. I thought it was nothing, until I saw blood on the laminator plastic. I went to the bathroom, wrapped it in paper towels, and went back for more. I ended up cutting my finger one more time, and then I decided to try to pull on it from above the machine, instead of under it.

There I am on my tip toes to get over the machine (its on kind of a high counter) and I am pulling as hard as I can when my hand slips and I punch myself in the nose! Instantly I begin to tear up and I think my nose is bleeding or is broken or something. It has to be, I mean that is the hardest I have ever been hit in the face (besides for cheer). But a check with my hand to my nose shows no sign of blood.

Long story short, the librarian and I finally free (my now ruined) folders, and I vow to never touch that dumb machine again. It's still not working anyway.

I did go back to my classroom, make two new folders to replace the ruined ones, and finish clearing my desk and set up my organization system. Here is a couple pics to show what it looks like now:

Do you have any filing systems that work for you? Have you ever hurt yourself at work in a stupid way?