School Crossing Guard Takes Some Heat

GOOD MORNING, Children!!!!

Shhhh, hey! Quiet down out there!

Several parents have provided information to The Woodstock Advocate about a very unfortunate incident that occurred in front of Dean Street School one morning last week. Children walking to school were treated to an angry outburst from a resident on Dean Street, when she yelled at the school crossing guard at Dean and Tryon Streets.

The neighbor’s outburst was so upsetting to some of the children that they cried in school. Would that constitute disorderly conduct? The neighbor must have called the Woodstock Police, because the school crossing guard supervisor, Sgt. Lieb, reportedly told the crossing guard that he must not talk to the children.

All of this information has been provided to The Woodstock Advocate by parents of children who attend Dean Street School. When I contacted the crossing guard, Bill Pfeiffer, who along with his wife, Sharon, owns and operates Woodstock Hobbies on the Square, he said he wants to be very happy as a crossing guard and declined to comment for this article.

So what happened? As one mother explained it, Bill greets children in the morning in a friendly and somewhat boisterous manner. As one mother said, “Sort of like in that movie Good Morning, Vietnam.” Get the picture? (No pun intended.)

And what could help start a child’s day off in a better way? Would you rather be greeted in a happy, friendly, warm manner or like the schoolbus driver in that comic strip, Crankshaft, or the principal in the movie, Matilda? How wonderful it is that a crossing guard makes a child feel welcome and glad that he or she is on the way to school! A child is much more likely to arrive in the school building in a happy mood, as a result of such a greeting.

Apparently, Bill’s greetings annoyed that woman resident, and she must have complained to the police department.

I went to Dean Street School on Monday morning to introduce myself to Bill. He was busy with his duties, and I did not wish to be a distraction with conversation, so I offered to stop by his place of business on the Square. I had been in his store last April and met his wife, and I had intended to get back to meet him but never did. I have missed out on knowing a caring and concerned man, and that’s definitely my loss.

It was clear to me that Bill was feeling constrained on Monday morning. He wanted to interact with the children, to greet them, ask how they were and to wish them a happy day. And it was also clear that he realized he had better obey the directions of the school crossing guard supervisor, who had told him not to talk to the kids.

Is this like telling a teacher that he cannot talk to the kids outside of class? What do you do, when a child says “Good morning” to you? Ignore him? Just look away? Absolutely not!

One mom told me she was so mad at what had happened that she called Sgt. Lieb. Then she called Tim Clifton, Woodstock’s City Manager. And, after that, she called Chief of Police Bob Lowen. They talked on Friday and again today, and Chief Lowen told her that it was “all taken care of.”

I respect Bill for not wanting to air his side of what happened. It shows his deep caring for the children and his professionalism as a crossing guard and as a business owner. Bill is a quiet and sincere man, although I guess the neighbor would argue with me about the “quiet” part.

Maybe she’ll get up on the right side of the bed tomorrow morning and show up on the corner with coffee and donuts for Bill. And maybe later in the fall and during the winter, she’ll show up with a cup of steaming hot chocolate for him.

Everybody has a bad day every once in a while. Maybe she is not really a mean, nasty person. So let’s all send some positive energy to that corner, so that Bill can once again enjoy his crossing guard duties and that woman will be a little happier. Those kids need Bill and his careful attention to making certain that they are safe when they cross Dean Street and Tryon.

Thanks, Bill, for being one of Woodstock’s fine school crossing guards. And thanks, too, for operating a store that every kid in Woodstock (and we big kids, too) should know about and visit as customers. Woodstock Hobbies has a great slotcar track and reasonable rates for its use. Woodstock Hobbies carries a tremendous assortment of model trains, which could be the start of a lifetime hobby.

By the way, why must children cross Dean Street AND Tryon? Why doesn’t the City move the crosswalk just a few feet south, so that the kids would have to cross only Dean Street? This might also ease the jaywalking problem that exists in front of Dean Street School, when teachers and staff cross mid-block from the parking lot. Perhaps all the parents need to sign a petition and ask the City to move the crosswalk this fall.