Feb. 22, 2008 - Be Nice to Crossing Guards and Children Crossing the Street...a rant
So, basically I'm the lamest crossing guard out of all the crossing guards in Little Chute. Seriously. Ask the other crossing guards, they will tell you. I have the farthest corner from the 3 schools in this town. When it's cold, rainy, snowy...whatever, the parents drive the kids to school that live near my corner. Basically, I'm pretty bored from December-February. It picks up a bit in March. Here's my rant...I only cross a few kids during each shift during those slow months. But, it seems that every single time I do, some driver is intent on running me and my kids over! I always get the drivers attention before I attempt to tell a child to go. I have a big red stop sign with blinking lights for everyone to see. I'm dressed like this...
BTW, that sign in that picture was not my new fancy sign with the blinking lights. But, even without the blinking lights, how can you miss me in the middle of the street dressed like that AND with a loud whistle?! How can you acknowledge me by nodding your head like you know I'm going to stop you to cross a child...when you see the child standing there ready to sprint into the road, yet you still go and almost run both of us over? Huh? Am I missing something? Then, there's the drivers who are eating, with one hand, talking on their cell phone with their other hand, and changing the radio station with their elbow and going at least 40 miles an hour in a school zone that is clearly marked with bright yellow sign and bright orange cones on the center line. Not to mention that big, bright orange and yellow person standing on the corner with the blinking stop sign.
I understand that the law in WI states that drivers do NOT have to slow down to 15 mph UNLESS children are present. Who made that silly law? Children can be faster than cars. If you've ever had a child, you know this. I can look and see no children, then look back in a split second and I have a posse of bikes waiting to be crossed. The law should state that a driver should slow to 15 mph in a school zone when there are cones or school zone markers on the center line...or something to that effect. But, what do I know?
I'm sure my crossing guard friend Tammy is reading this and nearly falling off her chair laughing. 
She knows exactly what I'm talking about.
Now that I've gotten that off of my chest....if you are driving through a school zone when you know children might be crossing, PLEASE slow down!!! It's better to be late than to have it on your conscience that you hit a crossing guard or a child. Think of your own children when you're driving through a school zone. I'm sure you want them to be safe as well as everyone elses children.
I took a pic of my corner during the lamest time of the day so I wouldn't get any cars in the pic. I bet you're so excited to see this, huh?
I work on a corner where there's a flower shop. I thought I'd take a picture for you people who live in nice warm places like Florida and Arizona so you can see all the wonderful snow we got here this winter so far. If you look in back of that sign and the big snow pile, that's actually the top of a house. That's how high the snow bank is! I can't wait until those green houses are filled with plants for me to plant in my garden! I have a LONG wait. Not until the end of May for sure.
Comments
Feb. 22, 2008 - traffic cone
Posted by Anonymous
BTW, this was a bad week for traffic cones as well!
Actually in the past couple of weeks, Jean, Lucy, and I have each had a cone disappear! Mine was just yesterday. I went out to get it, and it was not there. I looked twice and then thought that maybe I've done this job for so long now that maybe I already got it, put it in the car, and then went back out again for it. But I hadn't! When I got home, another crossing guard had called to tell me that she saw my cone on the front of a semi. It was headed right onto Main STreet. I decided NOT to chase it! Tammy
