justplainbil

Just Plain Bill

How can you identify a teacher on yard duty?

It goes without saying it would be the oldest and biggest person, usually with a brightly colored vest. Beyond that, I’ve observed two pronounced tendencies as I’ve returned to public school teaching after a break of nearly 40 years.

First: They almost always have a coffee cup or mug in their hand.  

Second: When there’s more than one on duty, they’re almost always standing next to each other and usually engaged in a conversation of some sort.

The first one bothers me, as I feel it projects an air of non-professionalism.  Since yard duty is one of those tasks asked of teachers beyond their classroom duties (and one that can deter or quickly defuse conflicts), I feel this behavior reflects a casual approach to an important responsibility.

The second is a real irritant to me. I’ve spent dozens of years working with youth in recreational settings. I’ve coached those working for me to spread out to provide a broad adult presence, which in many cases, can also serve as a deterrent to problems both large and small that often break out on the yard.

Maybe I’m old fashioned, maybe it’s just my age showing, or maybe it’s both, but in these cases, the teachers’ casual approaches to what I consider highly important roles are at odds with what I demonstrate and would expect of others.