Standing Pat

7:59 a.m. Pat stands at this corner on school days, as she has for the last eight years, stopping traffic and helping kids safely cross the street on their way to Century Oaks School in Elgin. Over the years, Pat has gotten to know a lot of kids and their morning routines.

On this particular morning, Pat shared that she knows which kids have not yet showed up at the corner, who is late and who probably wouldn’t show up for school that day. She was a bit worried because school was about to begin and she hadn’t yet seen a pair of sisters who lived in the apartment complex down the street. “Maybe they got a ride today,” Pat mused while keeping an eye on the building.

I thanked Pat for her time, assured her that the camera was working fine after she expressed concern that images of her would break it, then crossed the street to head for my car after she stopped traffic one last time that morning.

Click on pictures to enlarge. Photographs © 2006 James Jordan.