Nancy Muñoz is on her second act — this time, in a college — and he or she 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 position 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 effectively past the normal tasks related to the position.
Muñoz is laser-focused on lowering the varsity’s persistent absenteeism price — a problem that many faculties nationwide are grappling with within the wake of the pandemic. She is dedicated to seeing as many college students as attainable present up daily, on time, able to study. She’s even constructed her morning espresso routine round it.
In our Function Name sequence, 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 evenly edited and condensed for readability.
Title: Nancy Muñoz
Age: 43
Location: Camden, New Jersey
Title: Operations coordinator
Present age group: Grades 5-8
Years within the area: Three
EdSurge: How did you get right here? What introduced you to your present position?
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 youngsters at house that I used to be homeschooling. I needed to cut back my work as a result of I needed to keep house with my kids. After which the chance on Certainly took place. Any person pitched it. They have been like, ‘Hey, strive one thing completely different.’ My husband was like, ‘Step out in your religion. You’ve got been sitting there in well being care for therefore lengthy. Do that. See the way you prefer it.’
They beloved me from the time I stepped within the faculty constructing all up till immediately. So I’m like, ‘Wow, what would’ve occurred if I’d’ve finished 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 neighborhood that I nonetheless reside in to today. In order that’s how I received right here.
When folks exterior of faculty 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, issues, 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, folks that come and go to, I take the guests, I examine them in, I be sure 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 children 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 scholar that speaks Spanish, they do come and lean on me.
An enormous, vital piece in my work is ensuring that we all know the place our children are — both we all know they’re within the constructing protected, 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 can assist you with?
What does a very laborious day seem like in your position?
A extremely laborious day in my position is after I do not actually know the place my youngsters are — and I name all of them my youngsters as a result of through the day their mother and father 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 numerous their mother and father. So that they really feel that comfortability.
We haven’t gotten numerous snow right here these previous couple years, so now, after 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 is just not going to be nice, and I must know the place my youngsters 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 — after I do not see my youngsters that I see frequently.
What would you do to try to monitor down the scholars and get them to highschool?
Like I mentioned, I usually do busing within the morning. We now have about 472 college students for the center faculty. So I get a couple of good 73 college students off of the bus. There’s at all times this one child who misses the bus. So after I name him and his mother, I am like, ‘Hey, what is going on on? Why are you not right here? You already know you may’t have a specific amount of absences. What’s it that I can assist 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 best way to highschool. Properly, they don’t have a automotive. So I’m like, ‘OK, I will come and get you.’ So I’d take a break, inform work that I will be again in quarter-hour, get in my automotive, and go decide 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 mentioned, ‘Use me as a resort, however not daily. I received you, although. I will get you there.’ And that is only one instance.
Is that this a school-wide precedence due to rising persistent absenteeism nationwide, or is it a private purpose?
On the operations crew, our greatest factor is to have a low share of persistent absenteeism and to be sure that the children are ready to study, which suggests 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, apart from the climate — simply the truth that all the children have been sick. Regardless that the pandemic is effectively 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, you must go to highschool.
We now have numerous incentives for the children — not solely with lecturers, but additionally there’s quarterly journeys that we give to our children, and the children know that you could’t be absent greater than 4 days in 1 / 4 so as to get these varieties of incentives. So we provide so much, however our principal concern daily is to be sure that the children are within the constructing, they’re accounted for, and after they’re not within the constructing, that we additionally be sure that our absence logs are pristine.
What does a very good day seem like in your position?
After having not-so-great attendance with the climate initially of February, we got here again the final Monday of the month, and our attendance was 94 %. After we got here in that Tuesday, our attendance was 96.7 %. In order that’s like a mean of not more than 15 folks out — of the entire total 472 youngsters that we’ve got. In order that’s a very good day to me: We all know that the children are there.
Within the morning, [at home], I’ve to get my youngsters 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 entire total faculty, and I say, like, ‘Hey, attendance is a high precedence at our faculty, and if you happen to’re not going to be in, please name or textual content me at my quantity. Thanks. Have an excellent day.’
Usually, I get about 5 to seven folks that truly textual content me and will likely be like, ‘Hey, we’ve got an appointment. We’ll be there afterwards,’ or, ‘Oh, I took my child to pressing care yesterday. He is very sick, needs to be fever-free for twenty-four hours. He is not going to be again till tomorrow.’ So simply that proper there, an excellent day is figuring out that I did half the battle earlier than I even received to highschool, in order that after I get to highschool I can focus on the extra advanced circumstances of the children that didn’t present up.
What does it seem like while 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 DeansList, [the communication service we use], you may really make an inventory only for that day’s absences. So it will listing all the students that haven’t been [marked as present].
So the workplace supervisor will ship an electronic mail to staffers, we’ll replace by 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 electronic 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 manner that your position shapes the day for teenagers?
I have been doing busing ever since I began right here, and typically you simply do not know what the children are going by. So after they get off the bus and so they see me, I am at all times glad and I do know them by identify. Typically it is so inconceivable at first to know everyone, however I attempt to study everyone’s identify. I need them to know, like, I need to be private with you, you deliver me pleasure since you’re right here and also you need to study and the whole lot’s going proper. If I see that they are not having an excellent day after they get off the bus, perhaps they’re crying, I am giving out hugs, telling them, ‘Hey, come discuss to me if you happen to want me.’
You by no means know what the children 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 numerous the issues [they are dealing with]. So I at all times inform them, ‘Hey, if you happen to want me, I am proper right here.’
Your position offers you distinctive entry and perception into immediately’s youth. What’s one factor you have discovered about younger folks by your job?
Simply attempt to sustain with them, and at all times have an open ear. I’ve youngsters of my very own — ages 19, 11 and seven. It’s vital to only be an individual that they are in a position to talk with proper now. … I need them to know that I pay attention, and I like TikTok. I like to bounce after I can. My knees are unhealthy, however I like to bounce. I like to entertain the children and like I mentioned, simply to be an ear. They won’t have that at house, so I need them to really feel comfy for them to come back discuss to me.
That is the most important factor that I’ve discovered. You may’t at all times be authoritative on a regular basis. Simply pay attention, hear them out. After which I need them to listen to me out as effectively.
