Finding the Perfect Fit as a School Clerk

When I was first offered the position of school clerk, I turned it down. My heart was set on teaching, and I felt like becoming a special education classroom assistant was what I needed to do to reach that goal. But, after a year of being a SECA, my interests shifted, and, when I was offered the clerk position a second time, I took it. 

I am so glad that I did, and I have happily been a clerk at McCutcheon ever since. The students are what keep me coming back to this school each year. They grow up, and I grow with them. The students always know that they can depend on me, and their parents and my colleagues know so as well. 

This job definitely builds your interpersonal and customer service skills. You need to help everyone who comes your way, regardless of the feelings or emotions that you have. You also need to be a big problem solver. You wear many hats, and multitasking is key. You’re always doing three or four things at a time. 

In a way, you are your principal’s right-hand man. You need to be their eyes and ears and fill them in on all the details they miss. At the same time, you are truly on call for everyone at your school. You need to be a problem solver for them on the spot, and you need to know who to reach out to for the questions you can’t answer yourself. 

The one thing you can always expect as a clerk is that things are always changing in CPS. That’s why you always need to be ready to adapt and learn. 

I mentioned that watching our students grow up is definitely a highlight, and eventually they will graduate and move on from McCutcheon. But it makes me so happy when they come back to McCutcheon to say hello and check-in. Just last week, we had some high school students come back, and it made my day. 

I have enjoyed working as a clerk so much that one of my current goals is to go back to school to learn more about the business side of my role. I’m actually a clerk mentor, and I love to teach and train others on all of the different aspects of our jobs. I remember being very overwhelmed when I first started, and I’m glad I get to be part of a support system to help others. 

In addition to training others about being a clerk, I try to remind them to always take care of their own well-being. There is only so much time in each workday, and we need to remember that we are human and we can only do our best. 

As clerks, we need to remind ourselves that we are doing a great job. We’ve been doing great work, and we’re going to continue doing great work. We got this!