6:30 a.m.

He walks in the school 12 minutes late.

Already behind on a job that never ends.

For Principal Dee Palmore, that job is 12 months long. Days off don’t ever happen. Well, except that one time when his wife made him take off a week to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in Mexico.

Principal for the day sounds like a great idea. A day out of school to tag along with the guy in charge.

But the huge desk in his office deceives. He’s never there… unless he’s signing paperwork or checking his email.

He can never finish one task because something else always happens or tends to get in his way.

But as soon as the bell rings he’s out in the hallway, talking with students and waiting for the four minute bell to ring.

Five minutes to himself? Lunch? That’s a joke. His job is never ending and his lunch break is maybe ten minutes on a good day.

He goes to a class, and makes notes on what he sees, then it’s off to the next class…and the next…and the next. Up to six in one class period. 27 in a week’s span.

Then there’s lunch. No going out for Palmore. He eats cafeteria food, sits for 10 minutes, checks his email, and it’s off again. This time on a discipline call.

Sixth period of the day, he fixes the school phone, checks his email again.

Eighth period, he meets with a teacher about a situation, checks his email and then it’s off to Bowie for volleyball.

He’s been known to help the janitors. And students, even teachers.

Palmore’s job doesn’t end. And he’s okay with that.

When I went out on this assignment, I thought we’d be sitting. I had no idea.

The classes I had to go to were a break from the constant moving, helping, working with codes and numbers that sound like gibberish but actually mean something. On top of that the weather alert was going off because severe weather was moving in.

Palmore for a day. Sounded like a good idea. Don’t think I’ll do that again.