I invariably am the one who gets pulled over after going through the school crosswalk at 30 miles per hour instead of the recommended speed of 20. It’s not that I am careless, but I am usually in thought and it just creeps up on me before I know it.  There are usually no children waiting so I am not alert at sensing any real danger. By the time I realize it, it’s too late. I am getting better at this but it has taken a while. I have been driving for 40 years.

I recently had to laugh when I drove through two crosswalks about one mile apart. The first was at a public school where there were four guards assisting the students when needed. There were two parents, one on each side of the street, and two school-age kids, flags intact making up the team. Each had their official “you can’t miss seeing me” orange colored vests. There was only one child actually waiting to cross the street. An officially marked crosswalk  and flashing lights helped all this happen safely. I guess.

One mile further down the street was St. Joseph’s school. There, one older nun had about twenty young children crossing the street in single-file. There were no orange jackets, no swat team of flags and official looking signs, lights, or guards in sight.  Yet here she was, doing by herself what the government system took four others to accomplish. How she did that without all the regulations being enforced, I’ll never know. If you didn’t learn something from that scene, you are hopeless.