Welcome

 As it turns out, I am both the gatekeeper and the keymaster at my school. Make of that what you will, Ghostbusters fans. To be more clear, I am the guy who stands at the front gate in the morning, greeting students, faculty and parents. I am also there to lock the gate back up after the last trickle of tardy scholars and teachers make their way inside. During that half hour, if someone experiences a challenge with a locked door or needs something from a closet to which they don't have access, they come looking for me. 

After nearly thirty years in one location, I have been trusted with something that we call a "Master Key," hence my adoption of the title. Interestingly enough, you might believe that this one key would give me carte blanche to wander wherever I might choose on the campus, getting into all manner of trouble and adventure. 

You would be wrong. There were a few places into which even yours truly is barred. I have to wait for our cafeteria manager to show up to get into the kitchen. There are a number of different padlocks on various bars, gates and windows that do not respond to the Master. To make that leap, I have been trusted with yet another series of smaller keys that can only be differentiated by the size of their paddles. 

Please. No snickering in the back. 

Because I am the repository of all this security, it is important that I stay at my post, saying good morning and welcoming all those with school business. Just in case someone might need to seek me and my keys out for "just a minute." Meanwhile, I continue to encourage and cajole and appreciate those who straggle in after the bell has rung. There are a number of them. 

On any given morning, I recall the slew of videos out there that show educators greeting students as they enter their classrooms. Part of the specialness I find in these moments is the fact that I know how pressed all teachers feel for time. Every day is a race to three o'clock. Taking a few extra minutes to make kids feel special and get them excited for what awaits them inside is a challenge and an opportunity overlooked by many of my colleagues because of that stress. But taking the opportunity to greet every one who walks through that gate is a job I don't take lightly. 

And if you're wondering who has the key to the book room, I'm just outside the gate.