Even some of her fellow educators find it odd, Assistant Principal Rachel Manus said, but she loves the morning car line at Cooper Elementary School.
For her, it's a chance to see how students interact with their families; for everyone else, it's a chance to restart the day. And she wants the restart to be a good one.
Every morning at approximately 7 a.m., Manus and her crew of teachers head out to the front parking lot at Cooper Elementary School. They put out orange cones to keep all the cars in one long line then they start the music. Every day, it's a different genre, she said.
Exposing the students to different styles of music may even add some cultural awareness, she said. She brings out a white board to identify what's playing.
"We take requests," she said.
Parent Jennifer Knaup brings her two children to school every morning. As soon as they get close to the front door, she shuts off the radio and they roll down the windows to listen to the music.
"It absolutely makes a difference," she said. "It makes everyone happier in the morning. It starts the kids out on the right foot."
Even the teachers assigned to help during the morning car line start out happier, said PE teacher Austin Frederking. He has subbed at other schools and sees the difference.
It can be a difficult transition for the younger students, he explained. Anytime they are leaving their parents and going into a new situation can be hard, but the upbeat music helps.
Sometimes they play disco and the teachers dance, Knaup said.
Frederking doesn't dance, but the music is still energizing, he said. Even when it's cold and dark outside.
As a PE teacher, he doesn't always come to school dressed for the outdoors. At times last winter, he wore two or three layers of PE clothes on cold mornings, he said.
The car line has a serious side, too. By keeping parents in a single line, and encouraging several cars to unload simultaneously, the kids are safer and the line moves quickly, Manus said.
"It's four minutes from the four-way stop (at the intersection of Mercy Way and Lambeth Road) through the line and back," she said.
She appreciates that parents are in a hurry in the morning, and tries to ensure that the student drop off doesn't slow them down. The car line staff is outside from 7 to 7:30 a.m. and about 200 cars move through.
Manus likes to watch the kids and the parents together. It helps her understand her students a little better.
In the afternoon there's no music, but the car line moves just as efficiently. About 200 cars come through within 15 minutes, she said. Each car has a sign on the front dashboard and she calls the children by name and makes sure they get safely into their parent's car.
General News on 04/27/2016