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Your School Team:

Working together to provide your child a quality education

Behind the scenes it takes a lot of good people to make a good school.

It takes a lot of good people, working together. The first person who comes to mind is your child's teacher, but it's important for you to know everyone who is important to your schools, and therefore, to your child's education. We want to be sure you meet and get to know them. We realize that we'll never fully describe all the things these people do (so we'll just mention some highlights), and we understand that some of these people may not be a part of your specific district. On the other hand, you may have people in important jobs that aren't covered here. But in general, these are a few of the key support people at your school--and what they do.

Secretaries

If ever the term "jack-of-all-trades" applies, it applies to the secretaries. They do all the things that secretaries in most businesses do. But they also do a lot of jobs that nobody else in the school does. They are the key people to whom everyone comes for information. Students ask them everything. Parents phone constantly. Teachers ask about all kinds of rules and records. They type correspondence and tests. They make sure attendance records balance. They help find lost books and soothe over little hurts. They register all visitors and new students. They occasionally find lunch money when someone loses it. And sometimes, they keep track of their school's budget.

Custodian/Maintenance

The custodian keeps the school running. The school, with all its different parts, is like a big machine, and the custodian must know everything about running it. Operating the boilers that keep the school warm requires special training and a special state license. It's a big, vital job. Who fixes the broken oven in the kitchen so your children can have hot lunches? The maintenance staff. Who fixes a stuck window so the class can get fresh air? The maintenance staff. Who remodels a classroom so it can be used more effectively? Who fixes the roof and the boilers? The maintenance staff.

Transportation Service

These are the folks who take your children to and from school and take them on those special field trips. In some districts, each one is responsible for driving as many as 400 children a day! And that means knowing them all well, so that everyone is safe and well-behaved. What does the bus driver do when the bus driver isn't driving the bus? Good question. Bus drivers are responsible for the safety and cleanliness of the buses. They make necessary safety checks and keep the buses ship-shape. Occasionally, the bus drivers will do "courier" work, delivering important messages within the school system. They are important
people indeed!

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Teacher Aides/Paraprofessionals

These are really very special people and they help in many different ways. There are teachers' aides who help the teachers and let them spend more of their time in direct instruction. Some schools have library aides, some have cafeteria aides. In some schools, there are clerical aides, playground aides, or even bus aides. If there's an important job in the school that really needs some help, aides help.

And that's just the beginning

It's important to reemphasize: a good school includes all of these people--and others--people who work, as a team, to keep your schools running efficiently and your children learning better. For example, in some schools it is tremendously important to have security personnel who help reduce the costs of vandalism, remove any threat of violence, or simply ease the occasional anxiety of a young child walking to school. How can you measure the value of a school nurse who's always there to bandage a sore thumb or take a temperature? School nurses teach and heal in many ways. And the librarian who helps uncover a vast new world that the children will explore for a lifetime? And the people who work in the cafeteria making sure your children get balanced, nutritious meals? And the counselors who guide them in making important decisions? And, of course, there's the principal who tries to help all of these people work together, so your children get a better education.

By mentioning these people, we're sure we've left out others who deserve to be cited. The point is this: your children's classroom is certainly the focal point of their education. But it is the whole school staff family that supports learning and makes it possible for your child to get a good education.

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