Happy Administrative Professionals Day

Yesterday was the day formerly known as "Secretary's Day", a day set aside to honor "professionals" such as myself. The first call I took at 7:05 a.m. was a parent calling to excuse her sick child. We said goodbye and when I picked up the next call a few seconds later, it was the same parent, telling me her child wanted her to call back and wish me a happy administrative professional's day! I thought that was sweet and I felt so warm and fuzzy about my wonderful job!

The next call I received using my headset a few minutes later while I was still in the next room making coffee. This mother was very angry and immediately demanded to know why we hadn't sent a flyer home with her child to let her know that the previous day was spring picture day. I told her I was sorry she hadn't received one, we had sent them out to each classroom to go home with children. She raged on, saying she had called the school numerous times and no one had ever mentioned that spring picture day was coming up. I was a little surprised that she would think we would do that and may have stuttered a bit trying to come up with a polite answer. "Are you brain dead?" she inquired angrily. I said I was sorry, but we receive many calls all day long and didn't mention spring pictures to anyone who called. She was still demanding to know why she hadn't been told, so I calmly and slowly listed our methods of getting information out - we have school calendars available in the office and online, it's on our reader board, we announce it each day to the students, we try to send flyers out. She rudely interrupted me to say loudly, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk to me like I'm a two-year-old!" and then hung up on me. Was I ever glad! Is this what an administrative professional does?

We had a few hints that something interesting was planned for the three of us administrative professionals at lunch time. About 11:20 our principal told us we would be leaving the building in 10 minutes to go out to lunch. When we asked who was covering the office, she looked shocked. She had forgotten that little piece. Of course, it's only the busiest time of the day, because the kids are going to lunch, taking meds, etc. at that time. But I got busy and found the one person in the building who could maybe handle most of it.

A few minutes later amid the commotion of kids coming in to deposit money and take care of other business, three firemen showed up and announced they were taking us to lunch in a fire engine. They presented us with Albany Fire Department hats and mugs. After much more commotion, laughter and picture taking, we were seated in the fire engine, fitted with headsets so we could talk to each other, and took off, waving at the kids and teachers waving from the windows in classrooms as well as some who came outside.

They drove us around downtown a little bit, then pulled up in front of Wyatt's on First Street. With all the people in the businesses nearby gawking out the windows, we disembarked, thanked them for the ride, and gratefully went inside for a quiet lunch with our principal, who was kind enough to give us a ride back to school afterward.

All day a constant stream of kids bringing handmade cards and teachers bringing candy, flowers, plants and cards came through our office. My desk was piled so full of stuff there was no room for me to work. There was no time to work anyway, with all the kindness and appreciation that was bestowed upon us. Wow.


Today was a little more normal, with a few more gifts from people who weren't clued in until they got here yesterday about the importance of the day. Had another interesting call this morning from someone saying, "This is Susan Green, Sam Green's mother. Sam will be in at noon today because he has an appointment." (Names changed to protect the guilty.) I said, "Is this really Sam's mother? You sound exactly like Sam." (Knowing full well that it certainly was Sam.) "Oh, no, this is Susan." "Ok, Susan, please be sure to bring a doctor's note with you when you bring Sam in." Sam actually arrived at 9:30. I know him well because he is frequently tardy. (And he wrote the nicest things on the card he gave me the day before!) I say, "Sam, are you ready to admit that it was really you on the phone this morning?" He says,with a charming grin, "Yes, it was me, but my mom asked me to make the call for her." "Well, Sam, that is really not ok. Do you have a doctor's note?" "No, he didn't give me one." "Well, Sam, I'm afraid I'm going to have to talk to your mom about this." I called his mom and she was shocked and appalled. As far as she knew he had left for school that morning. I told her I would have her son meet with the assistant principal about the skip and she said she could come right down and sit in on it. Poor little Sam will be at Saturday School this weekend, because he was hanging out with a friend who was going with his dad to "Take your child to work day". (A much less important holiday than the one the day before.)


A little later we had to call 911 after a student fell off the monkey bars, hitting his head and possibly having a seizure. (His mother brought him back later to let us know he was fine.) After the ambulance took him to the hospital, my professional partner left for the hospital also because her daughter was there in labor. So my piles grew larger today. Fortunately, tomorrow is a no-kid day (grading/staff development) so maybe I can get a bit caught up.


I am blessed to have a job in a middle school office, working with terrific people and having very few dull moments!