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Support staff is more than worthy of our appreciation

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Support staff is more than worthy of our appreciation

By: Peggy Dewane-Pope

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Posted by peggybak Wed Jun 4, 2008 08:51:16 PDT
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A parent walked into our school a couple weeks ago and started yelling at our secretary, Becky Burgy. What was he thinking? Does he have any idea who he was talking to?!? Hello! It’s the SECRETARY! She, as well as the clerks, runs the place. Becky makes sure everyone there has what they need. She makes sure the students who are sick contact parents or get their medications if they are on site. She’s the one who makes sure everything runs smoothly and fortunately it does even when things are so busy. Becky has no problem handling a crabby parent—she’s wildly professional. In fact, we staffers probably get more defensive about someone yelling at her than she does. Does that parent think he endears himself to anyone when he gets so angry? Nope!

Another pet peeve of mine is how some students view custodial staff. I require my floors be “spitty spot” before I release my students after the bell rings. Sometimes a child will ask why they have to do it and mumble, “That’s the janitor’s job.” Carlos Dedios, our head custodian, says students and teachers are the first line of defense against trash, and I’m with him on that concept. Carlos and his team make sure the school is clean, equipment is where it should be, and that everything is ready and raring to go when our kids arrive.

Some people think it is the administration that runs schools and to some degree it is, but it’s the secretaries, clerks, and custodians who make sure schools runs smoothly!

— Peggy Dewane-Pope is a teacher at Stonecreek Junior High School in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District.