Seventeen Tape Dispensers and One Great Task

On Friday, Ms. Bell asked Zoya and Mateo to organize the classroom storage closet before Monday's writing celebration. The class needed paper, tape, and clipboards. Opening the door revealed seventeen empty tape dispensers and a mountain of other supplies.

"We should pack lunch for this expedition," Zoya said. She peered past a box of bent folders as if she were preparing for a long journey. Mateo held up a dusty clipboard. "And perhaps breakfast for tomorrow."

"It looks like a Herculean task," Ms. Bell agreed. "That means a job requiring enormous effort. Hercules was a hero in ancient Greek stories, famous for his strength and difficult tasks." Mateo flexed his arms. His sweater sleeves slid down over his hands, spoiling the effect.

First, they tried moving everything onto one table. Soon, a tower of notebooks teetered, leaning one way and then the other. Zoya steadied it while Mateo rescued a cup of paper clips. The closet was emptier, but now the table was a jumble of mixed-up supplies.

"We've moved the problem six feet," Zoya said. Ms. Bell suggested choosing one small part to finish first. Zoya wrote a heading on their planning sheet: One Shelf at a Time. Under it, Mateo listed three steps: sort, check, label.

They divided the table into areas for different supplies. "This corner is paper territory," Mateo announced, setting down a stack of drawing paper. "No tape dispensers may enter." Zoya slid a dispenser away from the paper. "Sorry. You'll need to find your own neighborhood."

They checked which supplies could still be used. Bent folders went into a box for scrap-paper covers. Dried-out markers went into a separate bin for Ms. Bell to inspect. Behind the notebooks, Zoya discovered a small box of tape rolls. "The dispensers' missing lunches!" she announced.

As each group of supplies returned to a labeled shelf, the problem seemed to shrink. The closet itself stayed exactly the same size, but the work no longer felt endless. Instead of wondering where everything belonged, they could match each item to a label.

By afternoon, the bottom shelf held paper, the middle shelf held writing tools, and the top shelf held extra supplies. Mateo struck a triumphant pose, lifting one empty tape dispenser overhead like a trophy. "Behold!" he declared. "The mighty lifter of extremely small objects!"

Ms. Bell photographed the neat shelves for Monday's class meeting. Zoya suggested a caption beneath the picture: Strong Arms Optional. Good Plan Required. Mateo nodded. "Hercules might have finished faster," he said, "but I bet he would have wanted our labels."