April Iordan is a driver/monitor in the Brushton-Moira Central School District and a member of the Brushton-Moira Support Staff Association. She was interviewed by Cheryl Rockhill, BMSSA president. Photo by Martha Jane's Photography.
Tell me about your job.
I have been employed by Brushton-Moira Central schools for five years. For the past three, I have been a bus driver/ monitor, and before that I was a bus monitor and cafeteria monitor.
My job is sometimes a little overwhelming, yet always very rewarding. I adore and love the children I work with.
I have respect for and care about my fellow employees. We bus drivers really have each other's backs. A lot of times when you're out there on the road, you might need questions answered right away.
We come together, and if one of us doesn't have the answer, the other one usually does. It is a real good relationship. We're closer to being a family than co-workers.
What do you do in your union?
I was union secretary and that job was very overwhelming and time consuming but, again, rewarding. I learned a lot about our union, our district, our jobs and what's to come. Cheryl [Rockhill] had invited me to a BMSSA meeting. I enjoyed it. I had lots of questions, she had lots of answers. When I was nominated for secretary in the next school year, I felt very comfortable taking the position. Being part of the union is very important, and we definitely make a difference in lots of ways.
How do you make a difference?
My time with the children is very different than that of a teacher. You learn a lot about a child when they're sitting down enjoying a meal or riding the bus because that's when we have time to talk. I get to see where the children live, how they live. I am the first face they see in the morning, outside of their home, and the last.
How about other activities?
I spend as much time with my children as possible. I love to dance. I am a new Zumba instructor. I host a class in my school where children are free to come to dance, with parent permission, of course. Being healthy is important. When they lose three pounds it's a big deal. I feel great! I know they feel great!
I am enjoying my opportunity to work for BMCSD, to be part of the children's lives, to work with the people and to know when I need them, they are there. I thank God for the opportunity to be where I am, and to be healthy and happy!