A Day In The Life Of A Crossing Guard
A side gig that may be necessary for school kids and adults
When I was a child at my old school, I and my siblings went home and had to cross a major intersection. Rain or shine, we always met up with a quiet, older man who was our crossing guard. For years, he was our crossing angel, and he guided our small bodies across the street to safety.
It is not many years later, and I find myself wearing a brightly colored yellow coat, and carrying a “Stop” sign. I was called to cover for a sick employee and I am at a new intersection. I make it just in the nick of time, as I spent 15 minutes defrosting my car to make my windows visible for driving. I didn’t anticipate my car would take that long to defrost and I am running behind my personal schedule. I usually like to arrive at least 5 minutes early at any location.
I don’t have to clock in but I have a schedule to do:755 a.m. It is still early morning, and there are several adults who want to cross. There are joggers, and a woman with a large dog, similar to an Aghan breed. The woman and the dog stop to chat with me, and after a while, she leaves, and I am alone again.
But not for long. As we get closer to 9 a.m., a steady stream of kids run, or walk to the crossing walk and I take them across, my right hand boldly holding out the “Stop” sign. The young…
