PETE RICEPUDDING AND THE MANAGERS

After the nerve-racking 2002 elections, the Survival Party got the task to make a new cabinet. Everybody thought that dr JJJA Buttermilker should get Agriculture, because as a child he used to stay at a farm during the summer holidays, so he knew everything about farming. But eventually, he got Education.
Butter left the cabinet-maker waiting for his "yes" during seventeen long minutes, but after that he had a new Education Plan, ready to execute. He remembered that, for many years already, he had been annoyed by the fact that school pupils (especially new-comers) had to carry heavy satchels full with books. Furthermore, his brother-in-law had a huge amount of laptops. In short, he would give a laptop to every pupil, and all books would be put down.

At the Azimuth High School, where Pete Ricepudding then teached Arabic (indeed!), the headmaster suddenly took his pension. The authorities appointed a new director ad interim to execute the changes. The new one was called Guillaume Cacklebox, a real manager. He was known as a lover of old toy-cars. He often said that he always dreamed of having more dinky-toys than employees.
He gathered the School Council for a meeting, to make them acqainted with the fresh wind that was to blow through the school. There would be no more stuffy books, the Internet would have the future. Pupils would whistle while coming to school with their brand new laptops, and teachers would have their hands in their trouser pockets while coming to school on their bicycles.

Alas, there was an old-aged bookworm, fifty year old mr Spectacle, who rejected the renewals. He complained of pain in the eyes while gazing at the computer screen. Cackle invited him to come to his headquarters and charmingly gave him coffee and cookies. He carefully asked whether mr Spectacle was healthy, and whether mrs Spectacle and the little Specs all were happy enough. As soon as the bookfool had left the room, Cackle called up the school physician. And one week lateron, mr Spectacle sat home with a sickness benefit.
Lucky enough, there were flexible employees as well. They always had been opposing those heavy books. They attended lessons on using Internet, and designed splendid websites with references to the most suitable info on the Internet. They formed a committee for the house style of school sites, and one for the adaptation of rooms and furniture. And they organized a book market where crocks from outside the school could buy for a nickle and a dime the brand new and still unused school books of last year.

Pete Ricepudding found the whole affair with books and laptops annoying, but he was wise enough to keep his mouth shut. He referred to websites where elaborate lists of books could be found, and explained to his students how to advantageously buy these books to study them at home. In the school meetings he made comments on items of minor importance, and kept himself silent anyway.
After three long months, the cabinet fell. One of the ministers from the Survival Party had been caught with the Nandrolon drug in his blood after a football match. There was a cabinet crisis (the 'night of the knives'), and after the new elections, the Survival Party had to give almost all her seats to the Resurrection Party. Minister Buttermilker had no seat in the new cabinet.
In Educationland, everybody passionately longed for the old school books. They removed mr Cacklebox and substituted for him a more modern director. Pete Ricepudding notified his colleagues that the very capable mr Spectacle sat home. This mr Spectacle came back to school in no time, and he was most cordially welcomed.