HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Crossing guards are frequently underappreciated, but after spending 15 years in her role, Miss Linda rarely goes a day without a ‘hello’ or ‘thank you’ from the kids she protects.
“You’re gonna make me cry,” 15-year crossing guard Linda Ayers-Thatch, better known to the community as Miss Linda, said. “It’s just the bond that we have between each other.”
As a continuation of the Huntsville Police Department’s “Zero in the Zone” efforts to remind drivers of school zone safety, I had the pleasure of putting on the vest, gloves and whistle and spending the afternoon in Miss Linda’s shoes.
As much fun as the two of us had as she taught me the proper hand signals and the importance of constant surveillance, she explained to me that she does it all for the kids.
“I actually am retiring from my other job, but I’m staying here,” Miss Linda explained. “They say, ‘Linda, why are you working so much?’ I said, ‘I love the kids, so that’s why I keep doing it.’”
Safety Patrol Supervisor Cleve Thompson said school zone safety is critical because drivers often ignore the rules of the road.
“I put my hands up to stop traffic, the person did not see, and they came within inches of hitting me,” Thompson said. “The only thing that’s on my mind is making sure the kids are safe, because that’s our priority. Kids are first, traffic is second.”
Thompson explained that by ensuring the students carefully cross the street daily, crossing guards become a part of the students’ lives. Miss Linda agreed with that sentiment.
“I celebrate with them for their birthdays, their graduations. Even the kids, I’ve seen some that are in high school now, and I had them when they first started off in kindergarten,” Miss Linda explained.
She said those lifelong relationships stretch even further. Miss Linda is an ear the kids can trust.
“A lot of people don’t know what’s going on in these children’s homes, and we’re the first faces they see,” Miss Linda said. “And when we’re smiling at them and communicating with them, they open up to us.”
And with every step across the road, those students know they’re never walking alone.
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