The Sad Saga of the Crossing Guard Shelter (or Government run Amok, again)

For the past 16 years, maybe even longer, there stood at the school crossing on 8th street a small crossing guard shelter located next to the sidewalk on the property of a church. It wasn't much--just enough for one or two people to stand under and a little bench to sit on. It sheltered the unfortunate crossing guard who happened to be there when the scorching Arizona sun shone down. People did like to cover the inside with graffiti, but the small church it stood next to would paint over everything from time to time.

Enter the city of Mesa. That shelter had no permit, and a bunch of other stuff that needed to be paid for. The total came to $4000 owed to the city of Mesa. The man on the case talked to his boss and they decided to wave all the fees except for the $100 for the original permit. So the small church raised the $100 for the city of Mesa.

But wait! The shelter was an accident just waiting to happen according to the wise people who work for the city of Mesa. Has there ever been an accident in the past 16 years? No! That fact didn't matter. Now the shelter is no more and those of us who happen to cross children there are at the mercy of the Arizona sun.

The Death of Intervention

It's time to pay the piper, all good things must come to an end, or the chickens have come home to roost.

In case you hadn't heard, the state of Arizona has a HUGE budget deficit. Because of that deficit, Mesa Schools has a BIG deficit. Education has been and is going to take a BIG cut. At my school we are losing teachers, the basic skills person, the reading coach and the last certified interventionist.

I have been working in the intervention program for the last 4 years. Next year it will be gone. "No money," the district says. Now I admit when it first started, I hated the program. I didn't think it would work and it meant a whole lot more work for me. Sometimes I have felt like I was banging my head against a brick wall because nothing seemed to be soaking into kids' heads. Head banging is NOT my idea of a good time.

Other times however, when the light turns on and they start to get it, well that is one of the best feelings ever. At times, it has brought me to tears.

Next year the intervention program will be gone. I'm sad. I'm losing some friends to other schools and I wonder if some of the kids will do as well. Will I even have a job next year? Maybe I will have a job and I'll get to be in the classroom all day which I really enjoy. I really don't know, but I know the end of this school year will be heart rending for me.