The Joys of Teaching in a Computer Lab

Being a teacher who depends on technology each and every day can be stressful at times.  I teach in a computer lab with 24 computers that are over 6 years old and are still running Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2003.  Needless to say, things go wrong with these computers all the time.  For example, twice already this week the Internet was down, and I had to modify my lesson plans quickly so that my students wouldn't just be sitting there doing nothing.  When the Internet is down, you would think that the world was coming to an end the way that the students overreact!  They are so dependent on having technology available to them at all times.  I believe that teaching in a computer lab has prepared me for the stressful job of an administrator.  I have to be prepared everyday for something to go wrong, and I always have to have a backup plan when things don't go as planned.