Getting to Know a Fantastic CPS Clerk at Stagg Elementary School

Ms. Ashon Harrison has worked for CPS for 21 years, 16 of them as a school clerk. This year, she has joined a new school community at Stagg Elementary School. She has found working in an elementary school to be extremely fun and loves to be around both the students and her fellow staff. 

Her goal is to continue to be a warm and loving presence in her school building. She knows that a clerk can often make or break someone’s experience in a school, and she wants everyone she interacts with to know that she cares about them and wants to help them as much as she can. 

Get to know her more about her below. 

What qualities do you think are most important to your job as a clerk? 

Patience, flexibility, attention to detail, compassion, and understanding. These are the main qualities a clerk should possess in order to do this work. Most of these have come naturally to me, but working with kids has definitely helped me to work on and grow my patience. 

What are the key things you’ve learned in more than two decades with CPS? 

The first thing that comes to mind is that flexibility is a must. Things can change by the hour, so you have to learn how to be flexible. This has helped me in my personal life as well. 

What are some of your favorite memories at CPS? 

I used to work at a high school, and I coached girls softball and cheerleading. Those times were some of my favorite times in CPS. I think of those moments as some of the reasons why I do this work. I still have relationships with some of those students today. 

What has been your approach to building relationships, especially with students, at your new elementary school? 

I start with being kind and a smiling face for everyone to see. From there, I let the students know that they can always come to me when they need help. I always refer to them as my friends. If I see a student in the hallway who might be having a bad day, I’ll say: “Hey, friend!” I’ll see if they want to share what’s going on and show them that they can feel safe talking to me. 

What advice would you give a new clerk? 

You should try to have great time management skills and be a self-starter and self-motivated in this position. You should also make yourself knowledgeable by taking the trainings that are offered to you. Finally, they should know that all days won’t be as challenging as those during the first three weeks and last three weeks of the school year. The year will mellow out in the middle! 

What is your message to your fellow clerks? 

Keep up the good job. Continue to be the great men and women that you are, and continue to support those who need your support. Your administrators and the students and staff in your school buildings all really appreciate you.