A Note of Appreciation as the School Year Winds Down

This is a busy time for schools. Over the past several weeks, administrators and teachers have navigated standardized testing, proms, award ceremonies, and field days. Now, graduation season is upon us. I would imagine there’s an abundance of checklists to complete for seniors and those undergraduates who are rising towards next year. In addition, during these final weeks before summer break, probably many students have “checked out,” which means it’s a challenge for school staff to keep everyone focused. As those checklists are double checked, perhaps it’s a good time to give a shout out to the most valuable player for every school year, the Administrative Assistant, formally known as the School Secretary.

My daughter is a High School Assistant Principal and often uses the phrase, “heartbeat of the school” when talking about her school’s administrative assistant. Chances are it’s no hyperbole to say the world of primary and secondary education might collapse without them. Thinking about the official responsibilities and the unofficial everything else that lands in the lap of him or her is worthy of appreciation.  

Let’s start with the phone. First part of the day might be spent navigating endless phone calls. These students are sick, those students will be late. These students need notes for early dismissal, those students who are absent without notice need to be tracked down. And then begin the issues that pop up. This bus is delayed, that new substitute teacher needs to know where the teacher’s lounge is located.

How about the call to run interference. Perhaps the principal needs a moment after a difficult meeting with a parent or student. No problem. The administrative assistant is already reading the room closing the principal’s door so he or she can have a moment to regroup. Perhaps the English teacher is having problems with the new technology updates. Hold on a sec. The administrative assistant will track down the IT expert. We haven’t even touched on the multitude of grievances she needs to delegate to the appropriate staff member.

I heard one administrative assistant say 85% of any given day is hijacked by issues that just come up. That takes a calm and confident mind to handle the constant peppering of things that need timely attention. They seem to be the go-to people that handle all the issues other people don’t know what to do with. Such a job is not for one who feeds off of set schedules, predictability, or time to reapply lipstick.

I envision navigating any day is like standing in the intersection of a thousand roads prioritizing traffic patterns so that the day continues to flow. In addition to the logistical challenges, those at the office desk are also called to be intuitive. Their hats are many. Sometimes she is a nurse providing initial assessment to a student who comes to the office looking a bit green. Other times she is a counsellor called to hear a student’s silent cry for help behind the umpteenth trip to the principal’s office. She’s often a voice of reason that might help defuse heated emotion by parents or students. And let’s not forget the expectation for her to be a customer service representative for not only the school, but for the district as well.

Consider this a note of appreciation to all administrative assistants who make the challenging world of education more doable. Not all heroes wear capes. Rather, on any given day in the school office, the heroes are the ones with post it note reminders in one hand, the phone in the other, and eyes attuned to everything else. I wish all of you space for renewal this summer in knowing how appreciated you are. Those who work by your side could not do it without you.