I have worked with schools for quite some time before I became an attendance clerk and that is primarily when I became interested in experiencing this position. Although this was my first position at Irvington, I have held many positions within other Fremont Unified schools. In particular, when I worked with Kennedy High School and Forest Park Elementary  I served in many different capacities such as being a volunteer, being on yard duty, and even working as an instructional aid for special education students. 

For me,  I wanted to interact with all of the different students on campus. Irvington is very diverse so it is great that I get to meet all kinds of students and help shape their high school experience. There was some degree of a learning curve, but my fellow attendance clerks and office staff been helping me get adjusted to this new job, since I started out last year in October. I have grown a lot personally and I am still learning. Working with the attendance clerk team, with the office, and with the student body has been such a pleasure and it is the main reason I do this job.

The job has not come without challenges. One of the biggest issues I have observed is people not having the appropriate knowledge about the attendance policies. It presents a struggle both for them and for us attendance clerks. Another unique aspect of this job is that there are no regular days. Sometimes the office gets very hectic with people coming in and out, but during class time things are more calm and collected. Everything happens as it happens and we have to accommodate for all of the student’s attendance for that day. We do not really have much of a precursor. It is both challenging and what makes this job fun. 

This job is dynamic but things have become a lot more structured. There is less tardiness due to the stricter attendance policy. Tardies are a huge hassle for students, teachers, and office staff, so I am glad there are more set guidelines regarding tardiness this year because I have seen a decline. 

There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. We get a lot of calls about leaving early and coming in late. We also have to manage substitute rosters and figure out verification passes. Really, everything about this job comes back to interacting with students. I am grateful that I get to be a part of their high school career. It is so fun to see where students end up going to college and to celebrate their success.