One of my two jobs is as a school zone crossing guard for a local police department. Since August, 2017 I have taken my post dutifully at a specific location. Yesterday, it all changed.
Due to a resignation, a different location became available two weeks ago. It was actually one I thought I would be working the start of the 2019-2020 school year, but the supervisor at that time changed her mind. Last week, I expressed my interest in transferring; that request was granted. Last Thursday, as was a custom I started (at Hallowe'en, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, and the last day of the year), I passed out miniature candy bars to those students who used the crosswalk along with a note letting them know I would be leaving.
It was somewhat a tough decision. While the wage I receive is just, that location has some rewards I greatly enjoyed. It had great psychic pay.
It is a great spot to spot wildlife. There is a ravine about 100 yards north which does its best to add color during the fall. It is also another crossing spot--for deer. (I have jokingly said I should get addition compensation for "helping" them.) I have seen a coyote cross the road there. One or two red-tailed hawks patrol the skies above on occasion; I also might have seen a peregrine falcon perching on a light pole one time. Just to the west of of the street is an enclosed reservoir used for an area-wide irrigation system; it hosts Canadian geese and mallard ducks in the spring and makes for a great nesting ground at times. A pair of jays make their home there. I also have photos of two unusual but beautiful insects which investigated me.
And then there was a long distance encounter with a cougar in December, 2017 during my morning shift. It was sitting on the other side of the reservoir facing west; when it rose and gave me a side view, I will swear to this day it was a pregnant female. And just as stealthily as it came, it left. (I think it might have been the one which was captured and relocated a couple of years later, as I was just arriving that morning to see that process begin.)
The street is also a great place for exercise. While it is technically a two-lane street, it is wide enough to host a parking lane and a bicycle lane on both sides. Plenty of walkers and runners come by frequently; the occasional cyclist as well. Some of those walkers also had a dog or two with them; I saw a variety of breeds pass by. A blind runner and her guide were also using it for their training, although I haven't seen them much post-COVID 19.
But the best thing there were not things; they were the elementary students I escorted morning and afternoon. For almost six years I saw them grow before my eyes. Their behavior was exemplary; it was a rare moment when I had to gently but firmly remind them of a rule. I hope their futures are bright.
But now, it will be something completely different. While it a route for that elementary school, my new assignment is the final street crossing from the east for a junior high school. I will be dealing with "Tweens" instead. Add to the mix the road is actually one of the city's main four-lane arteries, with more traffic with which to contend and just two blocks away from the senior high school campus, I will have more of a challenge every shift. And with more time spent there, I will have the maximum hours at this job.
I will miss the old crossing.
But I was ready to take this on.
St. Christopher and my guardian angel, your help is needed even more.
