Do you ever notice the teachers wandering the cafeteria? Have you ever wondered what it is they do? Well, as a lunchroom supervisor, they make sure everyone is safe and no funny business is going down. We might not notice them, but there is much to praise them for. For instance, they work hard every day to teach us and we don’t realize that they also love seeing us outside of the classroom. 

“I get to see all the students everyday. Some I have currently, some past students, and some students I do not know yet. I enjoy talking to them outside of the classroom,” said Mrs. Kloeppel, a gym teacher which supervises first lunch.

When it comes to the regular lunchroom drama or just a normal conversation, the teachers are there to help and interact in the best way they can. They have adjusted to this atmosphere where students can just be themselves, and they know how to handle certain situations.

“I think having real conversations without me telling them what to do, but offering a little advice, often helps more than just telling them to settle down or stop. High schoolers do not know how to self-regulate their tempers or the drama just yet, and I feel that it is my duty to help them learn that too. I try to let them see a different side of me at lunch; maybe laugh with them a little or be silly,” stated Mrs. Mattingly, a spanish teacher who also supervises first lunch.

The lunchroom supervisors love to get to know us but don’t always want to know everything. Students have lives outside of school that are sometimes not appropriate to talk about in school, such as what they did on Friday night with their friends. 

“I think in general, being a teacher, we know things we wish we wouldn’t know. The lunchroom is no different,” said Mrs. Mattingly. Yet she also said, “I actually appreciate knowing what is happening in students’ lives. If I don’t know what’s going on with them, I can’t look out for them or help them.”

The supervisors love getting to see us out of class, but sometimes the responsibility can get annoying. Students can be a lot to handle, yet they know that every job comes with thorns and roses. 

“There are either fights or drama going on, or having to make kids clean up after themselves, but I get to see all of the kids daily, which can be a good thing,” said Mrs. Kloeppel.

The supervisors love what they do and appreciate the ability to get to know the students on a deeper level. Each day they get to see how students are doing, as well as what is happening in their lives. They appreciate this aspect, even if it comes with thorns, because they know that it’s worth it.