From Her Perch on the Entrance Desk, This College Staffer Helps Children Present Up Every Day

Nancy Muñoz is on her second act — this time, in a college — 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 function 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 cellphone calls, sending emails, receiving guests. However the true energy of her work, she says, goes properly past the standard duties related to the function.

Muñoz is laser-focused on decreasing the varsity’s continual 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 doable present up daily, on time, able to be taught. She’s even constructed her morning espresso routine round it.

In our Function Name collection, we characteristic 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 cellphone calls and greeting faculty guests.

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

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

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 children 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. Someone pitched it. They have been like, ‘Hey, attempt one thing completely different.’ My husband was like, ‘Step out in your religion. You have been sitting there in well being care for thus lengthy. Do that. See the way you prefer it.’

They cherished me from the time I stepped within the faculty constructing all up till at the moment. So I’m like, ‘Wow, what would’ve occurred if I’d’ve accomplished this earlier in my life?’ It could’ve been a special state of affairs 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 identical to … [a lot]. And this was like a breath of contemporary air, simply to assist my group that I nonetheless reside in to this present day. In order that’s how I acquired right here.

When folks outdoors 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.’ While 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 below the umbrella of being just like the intermediary to my faculty. I am on the entrance desk, fielding messages, answering cellphone calls, sending emails.

If there’s, as an example, those that come and go to, I take the guests, I test 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 specific instances the place if a employees member cannot talk with a pupil that speaks Spanish, they do come and lean on me.

A giant, vital 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 might help you with?

What does a very onerous day seem like in your function?

A very onerous day in my function is once I do not actually know the place my children are — and I name all of them my children as a result of in the course of 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 a number of their dad and mom. In order that they really feel that comfortability.

We haven’t gotten a number of snow right here these previous couple years, so now, once 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 must know the place my children are. If they are not right here at 8 a.m., I am like, OK, what’s my subsequent [move]? So then I simply game-plan from there. However that is a tough day for me — once I do not see my children that I see regularly.

What would you do to try to observe down the scholars and get them to highschool?

Like I stated, 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 understand you possibly can’t have a specific amount of absences. What’s it that I might help you with?’

I grew up together with his mother. I used to work at McDonald’s along with her — that is how far we return, all the way in which to highschool. Effectively, they don’t have a automobile. So I’m like, ‘OK, I’ll 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 choose 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 stated, ‘Use me as a resort, however not daily. I acquired you, although. I’ll get you there.’ And that is only one instance.

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

On the operations workforce, our largest factor is to have a low share of continual absenteeism and to guarantee that the youngsters are ready to be taught, which implies displaying up on time and being there daily. Now, after all, folks get sick. There was a nasty case of flu going round within the faculty. That was the toughest factor, aside from the climate — simply the truth that all the youngsters have been sick. Despite the fact that 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 highschool.’ No, it’s a must to go to highschool.

We now have a number of incentives for the youngsters — not solely with lecturers, but in addition there’s quarterly journeys that we give to our youngsters, and the youngsters know you can’t be absent greater than 4 days in 1 / 4 in an effort to get these sorts of incentives. So we provide so much, however our predominant concern daily is to guarantee that the youngsters are within the constructing, they’re accounted for, and once they’re not within the constructing, that we additionally guarantee that our absence logs are pristine.

What does a very good day seem like in your function?

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

Within the morning, [at home], I’ve to get my children collectively for varsity, 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 complete total faculty, and I say, like, ‘Hey, attendance is a high precedence at our faculty, and when you’re not going to be in, please name or textual content me at my quantity. Thanks. Have a very good day.’

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

What does it seem like if you get to highschool 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 cellphone. By 9:05, she’s blasting her message. She sends an extra textual content message as a result of on Dean’s Listing, [the communication service we use], you possibly can really make an inventory only for that day’s absences. So it’s going to listing all the students that haven’t been [marked as present].

So the workplace supervisor will ship an e-mail to staffers, we’ll replace by way of employees, then she’ll ship out a robocall textual content message first to the absent listing. We’ll get a pair extra cellphone calls, ‘Hey, my child’s there. Verify once more.’ Then she’ll ship out a voice communication — that is a regular 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 students].

What’s a means that your function shapes the day for youths?

I have been doing busing ever since I began right here, and generally you simply do not know what the youngsters are going by way of. So once they get off the bus they usually see me, I am at all times blissful and I do know them by identify. Typically it is so inconceivable at first to know everyone, however I attempt to be taught everyone’s identify. I would like them to know, like, I need to be private with you, you convey me pleasure since you’re right here and also you need to be taught and the whole lot’s going proper. If I see that they are not having an excellent day once they get off the bus, possibly they’re crying, I am giving out hugs, telling them, ‘Hey, come discuss to me when you want me.’

You by no means know what the youngsters undergo. Lately are completely different than after we have been younger. We did not have telephones. We did not have social media. We did not have a number of the issues [they are dealing with]. So I at all times inform them, ‘Hey, when you want me, I am proper right here.’

Your function provides you distinctive entry and perception into at the moment’s youth. What’s one factor you have discovered about younger folks by way of your job?

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

That is the most important factor that I’ve discovered. You’ll be able to’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.