Institutions in general, and bureaucratic institutions in particular, are commonly seen as depersonalizing- as machines that grind down individuality and reduce all action to the lowest common denominator. I beg to differ. Case in point: This high school.

I wouldn't dispute that the HS is a discipline machine. A high energy, mostly low income student body pours in and out of the hundreds of classrooms every day. Daily there are "incidents", dismissals pending parent conferences, suspensions. The attendance and discipline lists are circulated building wide among teachers. The machine runs constantly, smoothly, whisper-quiet.

What I find noticeably absent is any sort of show of force. No large men in dark uniforms, and instead a very friendly and possibly slightly inept unarmed man at a desk by the front door. No one patrolling the hallways, no metal detectors, no heavy boots and clink of keys on handcuffs. Two police officers in two cars in the parking lot, window to window, killing time talking.

So who runs the show? As far as I can tell, there is one male in the building administration: the prinicipal. The rest of the school, or the machine aspect at any rate, is run entirely by women. Assistant principals, attendance, alternative education, discipline, you name it. But not just any women. Salt-of-the-earth, Take-no-guff, Cross-me-and-it'll-be-the-last-thing-you-do-on-this-earth small town Midwestern women.

So as far as I can tell it's an institution run by particular individuals, without whom their would be no HS as we know it. Without the presence of these unique human factors in the system then yes, entropy.