As some of you may or may not know, we moved over the summer from a rural part of Oklahoma to a nice not-so-little suburb outside of Houston, TX. Things are different when you move from living out in the country to city living. And while it's nice to have the school just 5 minutes away instead of 15 minutes, there are drawbacks. The biggest one being that since we go to a "neighborhood" school there are no buses for those of us who live in the neighborbood, even though the school is way too far for my 9 year old to walk to school every day. So, I am now a perma-member of The Car Rider Line. If everyone would be so kind as to follow these rules at drop off and pick up time, I would really make my day a lot more enjoyable:
1. Please DO NOT park in the car rider line!! This is now my number one pet peeve. If you want to go to the front door and get your child, I compeletely understand, but do not park along the street where you know the car rider line is. It is inconsiderate and rude. There is a perfectly good curb to park at on the OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET. USE IT.
2. Use the crosswalk! If you are smart enough to actually think of parking on the other side of the street, thank you. Now, please be sure to use the crosswalk with the crossing guards to cross the street. Do not take your child between the cars in the car rider line. People driving up the street cannot see you and it is dangerous. Plus, if that's the habit you develop in your child when you are with him, that is what he will do when you are not with him and he very well may get hurt.
3. Let your kids out at the end of the car rider line. If you are in the car rider, use it to its fullest. Do not let your children out of the car halfway through the line. There is a reason there are teachers lined up at the end of the line to help your children out of the car. It is safer for them and for you. If you let them out early, all of a sudden there are kids where there are not suppose to be kids and they can get hurt by a car that doesn't see them.
4. Make a right turn. Coming and going. Please do not drive up right when school gets out and think you are going to make a left turn in to the car rider line that the rest of us have been waiting in for 20-30 minutes. I am not going to let you in. Quit blocking traffic and go get in line like the rest of us. And please make a right out of the parking lot. The neighborhood's not that big and you'll quit holding up the line as we all try to get out of there.
5. Say thank you to the teachers and staff! They are doing their best to keep to our kids safe and get us through that line as quickly as possible and that's after they've taken care and taught our kids all day! Give them a smile and say thanks! They'll appreciate it!
Now, I know no one who goes to our school will see this, but I feel better now.
Thank you.
