Back to School Night

This was the second time that I attended Back to School Night, and I was optimistic that it would be a better turn out than last year. Little did I know that the parents would be on a tight schedule; i.e., they would follow their child's schedule from 1st - 8th period but on a condensed version. So much for fitting in speech then! However, I didn't find this out until the introductory meeting with the parents.

All of the teachers were sitting on the bleachers so I joined them there. As the meeting began, the principal called up each "team" of teachers (the teachers and students are broken up into universities for team spirit competitions). I actually don't belong to a team so I started to realize that I probably wouldn't get called up and introduced by name like all of the teachers and staff members. I saw my buddies, the custodians, standing a few feet away from me, and I was sure they'd get acknowledged since the principal was introducing everyone. But the introductions ended right after the campus security, and she dismissed the staff to their classrooms while she spoke to the parents for a few more minutes.

When the parents were dismissed, my buddies the custodians turned to me in shock, "Hey! How come she didn't introduce you?"

Me: Oh, it's okay. I really didn't expect her to...
[thinking a bunch of reasons, with the #1 being that the principal has a love-hate relationship w/ me being a County-employee and not a District-employee]
My buddies: What do you mean! She should have!
Me: Oh stop, it's not a big deal. She probably didn't know I was here and with me being a County-employee, it gets confusing sometimes.
My buddies: Well, she still should have. You are so important! You are one of the most important people on this campus!
Me: Thank you --
[I'm sure I laughed b/c I always laugh when I don't know what else to say or do and when I'm flattered and/or embarrassed]
Me: As long as you guys recognize it, that's what matters to me!

Actually, their response really did mean a lot to me -- more than they realize. Ever since I started working (last year), I quickly realized that I will constantly be confronted by educators, administrators, and other professionals who don't really know what SLPs do. As a result, they don't really believe in our work either (memories of That Crazy Lady flash before me).

I know that my buddies really meant it when they stood up for me. Last year, I used to stay late at work, so I often had brief chats as whenever they stopped by my room. One of them got to know and understand what I do...and in turn, I got to know him even more and respect him for everything he does (in addition to maintaining my room). Later on, my second buddy started working at the school and took over my room. He, too, would stop and chat when he could. He once told me how much he respects SLPs. I was a bit skeptical at first, but then he shared that one of his sons used to receive therapy for his language disorder back in school. My buddy said that if it weren't for his son's SLP, his son wouldn't be doing what he's doing today. And he told me of the amazingly (super-smart) projects his son works on now (like aerospace engineering stuff post-Masters degree). And they attribute his son's success and confidence to his teachers and even moreso his SLP (of course I gave him and his wife props for being awesome parents).

If it were up to me, I would have given props to our custodians. They, too, are some of the most important people on campus...and it's a shame that not many people know how fascinating, thoughtful, and sincere these guys are.