Dateline: Baldwin School, pick up, 3:10pm, some weekday.
After an hour in traffic, following a hectic day dealing with the problems du jour, a frustrated parent arrives on campus, eager to be on to the next thing on their infinite list. This parent skipped lunch, had a disappointing meeting, is late for an appointment, had a run-in with a spouse or colleague, is dealing with any number of significant personal issues, slept poorly the night before, is nursing a major headache, or some combination thereof. He or she is eager to get on and off campus. This parent has tried to alert their child(ren) to be ready to go as soon as they pull up, but he/she/they are not answering their phone. One hundred good reasons to be grumpy. Not one good reason to be disrespectful or unsafe.
A band of teachers arrives on scene to support after school pick-up. They have been assigned this duty after a full day of teaching. They will stand in the sun or rain at the heat of the day in order to help the aforementioned parent find their child, load them up in the car, all the while working to keep the line moving along at an orderly, constant pace, while at the same time keeping everybody safe. They are here to help. They are deserving of respect. They are following an assigned protocol.
Said parent is still on the phone as they enter campus. They know the rules, they see the signs, they just choose to ignore both and the teacher or security guard working to remind them that where our children are concerned, safety is the first priority. The parent stops the car well short of the forward most position, disrupting traffic flow and pretending not to see our helpers waving them forward. When reminded of our procedures, this parent chooses to snap at the teacher or security guard. This parent is openly disrespectful...to people who are trying to help. In this moment, they are the problem, all because they are in a hurry or had a bad day.
At one level, there is a question of fairness, that someone would choose to ignore ground rules intended to apply to all, some of which comply with law. At another level, there is a real concern about safety when a distracted driver enters a campus full of children. Finally, there is a matter of respect, that all are deserving of despite the conditions of our lives or our station. Fairness, safety, and respect are the underpinnings of civilized society, and essential to sending the right message to our children.
Please, as you go about your busy day, follow our drop off and pick up procedures, be safe, put the phone down, and treat everybody with respect. You are, after all, your child(ren)'s most important teacher. The lessons you teach them this day, about personal responsibility, about accountability, about how others should be treated, may echo thru a lifetime. We are all subject to forces beyond our control, but we are nonetheless fully accountable for the choices we make.
A loving reminder for the good of us all! See you around campus.
Note:
I will be away this week representing Baldwin School at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Annual Conference...in Boston...19 degrees...
We are close on our permits, so the Elementary Extension should start soon.