From Her Perch on the Entrance Desk, This Faculty Staffer Helps Youngsters Present Up Every Day

Nancy Muñoz is on her second act — this time, in a faculty — and she or he feels she’s lastly the place she belongs.

After an extended profession working in well being care, the pandemic led her to hunt a brand new alternative. She discovered it within the type of an operations coordinator position inside a center faculty in Camden, New Jersey.

In that place, Muñoz sits on the entrance desk — what she calls “the face of the home” — answering telephone calls, sending emails, receiving guests. However the true energy of her work, she says, goes properly past the normal obligations related to the position.

Muñoz is laser-focused on decreasing the college’s power absenteeism fee — a problem that many colleges nationwide are grappling with within the wake of the pandemic. She is dedicated to seeing as many college students as potential present up on daily basis, on time, able to be taught. She’s even constructed her morning espresso routine round it.

In our Function Name sequence, we function unsung faculty employees members — folks whose jobs are little-known or misunderstood however who’re integral to their faculty communities. For this installment, we spoke with Muñoz about how her work is about greater than answering telephone calls and greeting faculty guests.

The next interview has been calmly edited and condensed for readability.

EdSurge: How did you get right here? What introduced you to your present position?

Nancy Muñoz: For 16 years, I labored in a hospital setting. The final job that I held was as a cardiac tech. The pandemic hit, and I began scrambling. I had three youngsters at residence that I used to be homeschooling. I needed to reduce my work as a result of I needed to keep residence with my kids. After which the chance on Certainly happened. Any person pitched it. They had been like, ‘Hey, strive one thing completely different.’ My husband was like, ‘Step out in your religion. You’ve got been sitting there in well being care for thus lengthy. Do that. See the way you prefer it.’

They beloved me from the time I stepped within the faculty constructing all up till at present. So I’m like, ‘Wow, what would’ve occurred if I’d’ve executed this earlier in my life?’ It could’ve been a special situation for me. However the pandemic actually formed me up. I used to be beat down. I used to be worn out. Well being care was similar to … (lots). And this was like a breath of recent air, simply to assist my neighborhood that I nonetheless stay in to this present day. In order that’s how I obtained right here.

When folks exterior of college ask you what you do, how do you describe your work?

Principally how I describe my work and my job is that I’m ‘the face of the home.’ If you come to my home, I’m the person who solutions the door. I am the person who greets you. I take all of your questions, considerations, something beneath the umbrella of being just like the intermediary to my faculty. I am on the entrance desk, fielding messages, answering telephone calls, sending emails.

If there’s, as an illustration, those who come and go to, I take the guests, I examine them in, I guarantee that all their credentials are good, then I ship them to wherever they should go.

I inventory my workrooms for my employees. I do the busing within the morning. I get the youngsters on the bus within the afternoon. I do all of it.

As a result of I am bilingual, if there is a language barrier, there are particular instances the place if a employees member cannot talk with a pupil that speaks Spanish, they do come and lean on me.

A giant, essential piece in my work is ensuring that we all know the place our youngsters are — both we all know they’re within the constructing secure, and if they are not within the constructing, what is going on on? The place are you? Why aren’t you right here? Can we get you in? Is there something that we can assist you with?

What does a extremely exhausting day appear to be in your position?

A very exhausting day in my position is once I do not actually know the place my youngsters are — and I name all of them my youngsters as a result of through the day their dad and mom belief me with them. And I say this as a result of I used to be born and raised right here; I grew up with lots of their dad and mom. In order that they really feel that comfortability.

We haven’t gotten lots of snow right here these previous couple years, so now, after they’re calling for a dusting, it is just like the buses run loopy, there is a two-hour delay. One week we had bitter chilly. So it is like, all proper, let me breathe in, as a result of our attendance will not be going to be nice, and I have to know the place my youngsters are. If they are not right here at 8 a.m., I am like, OK, what’s my subsequent (transfer)? So then I simply game-plan from there. However that is a tough day for me — once I do not see my youngsters that I see frequently.

What would you do to try to monitor down the scholars and get them to high school?

Like I mentioned, I usually do busing within the morning. We now have about 472 college students for the center faculty. So I get a few good 73 college students off of the bus. There’s at all times this one child who misses the bus. So once I name him and his mother, I am like, ‘Hey, what is going on on? Why are you not right here? You recognize you’ll be able to’t have a specific amount of absences. What’s it that I can assist you with?’

I grew up along with his mother. I used to work at McDonald’s together with her — that is how far we return, all the best way to highschool. Nicely, they don’t have a automobile. So I’m like, ‘OK, I will come and get you.’ So I’d take a break, inform work that I will be again in quarter-hour, get in my automobile, and go decide him up. I am like, ‘Hey, we’re not going to make this a behavior, an on a regular basis factor, however please attempt to get to your bus cease.’ I mentioned, ‘Use me as a resort, however not on daily basis. I obtained you, although. I will get you there.’ And that is only one instance.

Is that this a school-wide precedence due to rising power absenteeism nationwide, or is it a private purpose?

On the operations group, our largest factor is to have a low proportion of power absenteeism and to guarantee that the youngsters are ready to be taught, which implies exhibiting up on time and being there on daily basis. Now, after all, folks get sick. There was a foul case of flu going round within the faculty. That was the toughest factor, aside from the climate — simply the truth that all the youngsters had been sick. Although the pandemic is properly over, we do not need these habits that we had earlier than with, like, ‘Hey, I believe my mother goes to be OK with me not coming to high school.’ No, you must go to high school.

We now have lots of incentives for the youngsters — not solely with lecturers, but additionally there’s quarterly journeys that we give to our youngsters, and the youngsters know that you would be able to’t be absent greater than 4 days in 1 / 4 to be able to get these sorts of incentives. So we provide lots, however our fundamental concern on daily basis is to guarantee that the youngsters are within the constructing, they’re accounted for, and after they’re not within the constructing, that we additionally guarantee that our absence logs are pristine.

What does a extremely good day appear to be in your position?

After having not-so-great attendance with the climate in the beginning of February, we got here again the final Monday of the month, and our attendance was 94 p.c. Once we got here in that Tuesday, our attendance was 96.7 p.c. In order that’s like a median of not more than 15 folks out — of the entire total 472 youngsters that we have now. In order that’s a extremely good day to me: We all know that the youngsters are there.

Within the morning, (at residence), I’ve to get my youngsters collectively for college, after all, however I am at all times simply on my Ps and Qs. So I brew Bustelo espresso within the Keurig and blast a message out — a textual content message — to my entire total faculty, and I say, like, ‘Hey, attendance is a high precedence at our college, and for those who’re not going to be in, please name or textual content me at my quantity. Thanks. Have day.’

Usually, I get about 5 to seven folks that truly textual content me and might be like, ‘Hey, we have now an appointment. We’ll be there afterwards,’ or, ‘Oh, I took my child to pressing care yesterday. He is very sick, needs to be fever-free for twenty-four hours. He is not going to be again till tomorrow.’ So simply that proper there, day is figuring out that I did half the battle earlier than I even obtained to high school, in order that once I get to high school I can consider the extra complicated circumstances of the youngsters that didn’t present up.

What does it appear to be once you get to high school and begin tackling the remaining absences?

We now have three rounds of communication that exit. Our workplace supervisor will do the three rounds in an hour. We begin pulling attendance at 9 a.m. on the telephone. By 9:05, she’s blasting her message. She sends a further textual content message as a result of on DeansList, (the communication service we use), you’ll be able to really make a listing only for that day’s absences. So it will checklist all the students that haven’t been (marked as current).

So the workplace supervisor will ship an e-mail to staffers, we’ll replace via employees, then she’ll ship out a robocall textual content message first to the absent checklist. We’ll get a pair extra telephone calls, ‘Hey, my child’s there. Test once more.’ Then she’ll ship out a voice communication — that is an ordinary message that is already there — after which she’ll ship out an e-mail. So we’ll get them 3 ways inside an hour, after which she’ll ship the ultimate spherical of attendance to employees, and that ought to have our concrete quantity (of absent college students).

What’s a manner that your position shapes the day for youths?

I have been doing busing ever since I began right here, and typically you simply do not know what the youngsters are going via. So after they get off the bus they usually see me, I am at all times completely satisfied and I do know them by title. Generally it is so inconceivable at first to know all people, however I attempt to be taught all people’s title. I would like them to know, like, I need to be private with you, you deliver me pleasure since you’re right here and also you need to be taught and all the things’s going proper. If I see that they are not having an ideal day after they get off the bus, perhaps they’re crying, I am giving out hugs, telling them, ‘Hey, come discuss to me for those who want me.’

You by no means know what the youngsters undergo. As of late are completely different than after we had been younger. We did not have telephones. We did not have social media. We did not have lots of the issues (they’re coping with). So I at all times inform them, ‘Hey, for those who want me, I am proper right here.’

Your position offers you distinctive entry and perception into at present’s youth. What’s one factor you have discovered about younger folks via your job?

Simply attempt to sustain with them, and at all times have an open ear. I’ve youngsters of my very own — ages 19, 11 and seven. It’s essential to only be an individual that they are in a position to talk with proper now. … I would like them to know that I pay attention, and I like TikTok. I like to bop once I can. My knees are unhealthy, however I like to bop. I like to entertain the youngsters and like I mentioned, simply to be an ear. They may not have that at residence, so I would like them to really feel snug for them to return discuss to me.

That is the largest factor that I’ve discovered. You may’t at all times be authoritative on a regular basis. Simply pay attention, hear them out. After which I would like them to listen to me out as properly.