The custodian saves the day!

So, I rarely show any type of movie to my students because I figure they can get their TV watching at home. But, we have been studying different biomes and the one we are into this week is the ocean. I checked out the library to see if they have any educational videos on the ocean and to my shock and awe they actually had one! I was so excited! It looked very educational and I planned the last ten minutes of the day to let my students watch this as a good introduction to the depths of the ocean and the darkness. We worked hard all day and it was a great motivator for the slower ones to speed up so we could have our reward. We finished everything! We even did an extra math sheet so that we could justify it all. We packed up, I passed out reward bucks, and the students were waiting and ready as I put in the video and presto, nothing happened. I grabbed the remote and I tried it again. Nothing. The students yelled it's the channel! So, I took the remote and we switched channels all over. Nothing. The machine read VCR, but there was no action in the movie department. My most determined student came forward and asked to see the remote. By now, the minutes were ticking away fast and I was desperate. He looked it over and pressed buttons that we both agreed should work. Nothing. I sent a student with a note to the teacher next door on my right. Did she have any gifted students in the audio visual department that might lend a hand? She sent a student who indeed looked the part. We both studied the remote, the TV, the video/DVD machine. We pressed the button that read VCR/DVD. We both scratched our heads and the students looked devestated. I felt that way inside, but instead I put on my best face and we proceeded to play an Around the World math game. Meanwhile I sent a student next door to my left, to the P.E. teacher. who seems to get the machinery to work, because I can hear it through the walls periodically. She came over and worked, and worked while the students and I looked hopeful Nothing. Finally, the bell rang. I sent the children off with a promise we would watch it tomorrow, all the while wondering how that would happen. I marveled how people get any machine to work when they really need it to?! Then the teacher to my right walked in and we both tried to get the movie to play. We could hear it moving inside as we leaned our heads up to the machine. We must have made quite a picture. Us standing with our ears plastered, because when our custodian walked in he just stopped and stared. We almost bumped our heads on the TV as we explained we couldn't get it to play a video. He studied the remote we were holding and then quietly reached up and grabbed a small gray one on the back of the machine. The one I was holding was large and black. He pressed a little button and it was a miracle!! The movie started. This guy went into the genious category instantly in my mind! We had had over three teachers try and all it took was one little switch to make it all happen. I was singing the praises of our custodian who never made me feel like a non-intellectual. He just smiled and I realized when we switch rooms at a school site it would be so helpful to receive a little training on the electronics! Each room seems to be a little different. Maybe tomorrow I can wow my students with ten minutes on the ocean. Hopefully the training I received from our humble room servant can stay with me for another day. One never knows!!