Dancing Joe

Moss Haven Elementary, where I teach, is located in a Dallas residential neighborhood. It isn’t on any major streets and even on school days, traffic isn’t all that bad. However, wisely adhering to the advice of everyone’s grandmother, the school decided to be better safe than sorry and hire a crossing guard.

I’ve been at MHE for six years and in that small amount of time we’ve had more crossing guards than I can count.

My first three years at MHE the life expectancy of a crossing guard was about two months. I’m not sure about where you are, but in Dallas the job of crossing guard is not a very coveted position. We had guards who showed up late and left early. We had guards who fought with and swore like sailors at parents. And we had guards that would just sit in their car, look both ways and wave for the kids to cross the street.

All that changed when Joe came on-board. Joe loves his job. I don’t know what Joe’s last name is. I’m not sure anyone does, but along the way someone started calling him “Dancing Joe” and it stuck. Dancing Joe is his name, because dancing is what he does.

He spins and moon walks and plays his stop sign like a guitar and tips his hat to every child he walks across the street. He recognizes every student, knows most by name, is genuinely happy to see each one and they all love him.

Joe lives about a mile from school and walks each day. Hot or cold or rain or shine, whatever the weather, Dancing Joe is always there faithfully doing his job. He’s never tardy and stays extra late.

“I just want to make sure even the kids who woke up late get across that street safely,” is what he once told me. And I have no doubt that he means it.

I discovered that Joe is a veteran. I have no idea how long, or in what branch of the military Joe served, but if his dedication to his crossing guard duties is any indication, he was one good soldier.

I’ve spent time talking with Joe. He’s a really nice guy and it’s easy to see why the kids all love him. However, it’s not hard to tell by his speech and the level of his conversations that Joe is somewhat mentally challenged. I don’t want to know the details behind Joe’s mental condition. In my mind I imagine a man who was injured while selflessly serving his country. I don’t know if that’s the case, but I like my little imagined scenario and I don’t plan on asking for anything more.

Dancing Joe has been the MHE crossing guard for the last three years and he’ll probably be helping kids cross the street long after I’m gone.

I wonder which of life’s great secrets one needs to know in order to love doing a job that nobody else wants?

Maybe I’ll ask Dancing Joe.