By Susan Hayes  

Federal Programs Coordinator 

Hartselle City Schools  

On a Sunday in March, Karen Bynum passed away.  For more than twenty years, she served Barkley Bridge Elementary School as its school nurse. A registered nurse, Bynum certainly possessed all the qualifications needed to meet the medical needs of the school. But it wasn’t her medical training that endeared her to students – it was her kindness. 

She had a soft voice and a gentle, reassuring manner.  She was comforting to children who were sick, and she was calming  and competent in the face of student, staff, parent and grandparent emergencies.  Her’s was a life well-lived.  She made a difference in the lives of children. 

And she is not alone.  All of our Hartselle schools employ secretaries, bookkeepers, teachers’ aides, nurses, custodians, bus drivers and lunchroom workers who arrive each day prepared to meet the needs of the kids who depend on them.  Much of what they do is unremarkable, and it goes unnoticed – unless it goes undone.  Much of what they do is scheduled and routine – but students need the predictability of routine. And much of what they do goes uncelebrated – but not today. Today they are the focus. 

Parents might be surprised at the observations made by the many employees who are in the schools to support their children.  Bus drivers notice when children have not gotten the sleep they need. Lunchroom workers notice when appetites change. Secretaries notice consistent  late arrivals to school.  Teachers’ aides notice shifts in moods and behaviors. In short, every person employed by the school district is there to pay attention to the needs of kids and intervene where they should. 

Most every student who has passed through the halls of Hartselle’s schools can share a story of receiving support, kindness or encouragement from someone in the school who was not a teacher or a principal or a counselor.  We often refer to these employees as support personnel – and the title is fitting. 

My thoughts again turn to Nurse Bynum. I remember one morning one of our Barkley Bridge kindergartners came to the health room complaining of an injured finger.   

He told Nurse Bynum on the night before he had tried to take some food out of his grandaddy’s dog’s food dish, and that the dog had snapped at his hand in response. 

Nurse Bynum carefully examined that little finger and saw nothing other than one tiny spot that was a bit redder than the rest of the finger.  

In her very kind Nurse Bynum way, she comforted him with, “Well. You’re going to be okay. It’s just a superficial bite.”   

Bewildered, he locked eyes with her for a moment, looked again at his own finger, and then insisted “No.  No. It’s a dog bite!” 

Enjoy these years with your children. The little ones and the big ones.  Enjoy your summer days. Have your fun. Find your joy. Make your memories, because they are not just superficial either. 

And when you send them back to school in August, know that they will be loved and supported by all who work within the schoolhouse.