School crossing guards share their stories

Editor’s note: This story is part of Xpress’ annual Kids Issue series. 

For over 30 years, Robin Steele, 66, has donned her neon vest and carried her handheld “Stop” sign to ensure the safety of students crossing the intersection of Farview Road and Liberty Street on their way to Oakley Elementary School in East Asheville.

And her dedication has not gone unnoticed. On a recent visit to Steele’s home, a few blocks from the school, she shares handwritten cards students have given her over the years.

“You sit out on the bench throughout the weather,” one reads. “Your bright smile and cheery voice set many of my bad days good. I wish I got to school with enough time to spend getting to know you better.” The note is addressed to “The Wonderful And Amazing Crosswalk Lady!”

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Plumie “Ms. Pat” Hall, 84, has had an equally long tenure crossing students at Claxton Elementary School on Merrimon Avenue.

“I’ve had generations of kids that cross. I’ve had kids that come back who have finished college,” Hall says. “I have one guy who is gonna finish high school this year, and he comes every year back to see me.”

These relationships, say both Steele and Hall, are what keep them coming back to the job at the start of each school year, despite the unpredictable weather they often face and the distracted drivers they’re seeing more of these days.

Morning and afternoon shifts 

Given the nature of the work — crossing guards average around 20 hours per week — both Steele and Hall have held additional jobs.

When Steele first began her role at Oakley, she also crossed students at Asheville High School in addition to two other positions on and off campus — all of which, she notes, she did without a driver’s license.

“I’m scared to drive,” she says. “People are crazy. People don’t care about you; they’re trying to get to where they got to go.”

In North Asheville, Hall currently works an additional cleaning job. She made it a point to secure a position within walking distance from Claxton, which allows her to manage her morning and afternoon shifts at the school with less stress.

In the afternoons she begins her crossings at 2:30 p.m. and remains on campus past dismissal, until 4:30 p.m., to make sure she can cross the students who have theater rehearsal.

Steele will also linger to make sure her regulars have proper assistance crossing the busy Fairview Road. “I sit there and wait and wonder where they are and sit there and wait a little longer to make sure they’re not coming [before I leave],” she says.

Traffic troubles

The major downside to their jobs, says Steele and Hall, is traffic.

“When I started, it was in the ’90s, so the cars respected the crossing guards and the kids,” Steele says. “Now, three cars will go through that red light.”

Two years ago, Steele says, she experienced her first accident on the job when a car rolled toward and bumped her in the crosswalk.

“At first I thought it was my friend trying to bump me and scare me, but she kept coming. I was trying to push her car, but she kept coming. So I went around her car and said, ‘Lady, you hit me!’ She said, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you.’ I said, ‘How could you not see me with this big neon vest on?’ She was on her phone, she was texting,” Steele says.

Directing traffic off a bustling Merrimon Avenue, Hall has observed an uptick in the number of cars that will blow through the crosswalk.

“They should be more careful,” Hall says. “They see that sign up when you’re taking the kids across. It don’t take but a few minutes to go across. If they would just stop just long enough for them to get across safe, that wouldn’t take long. Why wouldn’t you want to stop?”

That’s why it’s so important for students to be careful, pay attention and wait for the crossing guard’s cue, Hall says.

Joys of the job

The bright spot in both crossing guards day are the students.

“I just enjoy being there to help them across, making sure they’re getting across safely. And I just love the kids, they’re so excited,” Hall says. “Like when springtime comes and the flowers bloom, you have kids running [to me who] broke a flower off [for me]. It’s so sweet of them.”

Past students will also occasionally visit or stay in touch online. And in some instances, Steele notes, she is now crossing the children of previous students she assisted decades ago.

Back at Steele’s home, she looks over a few more of the cards she has received over the years.

“This one is from a mother,” Steele says with a smile, flipping through the stack.

“We all need caring and loving people like you around our kids and grandkids,” reads the card. “You are a ray of sunshine, a blessing to all of us.”