There have been a lot of quiet heroes of 2020. As we enter into 2021, there are bound to be more. One of those has got to be Janet Throgmorton. Janet is the principal at Fancy Farm Elementary in western Kentucky, where there's 184 preschool through sixth-grade students.
While no one would say that being a principal isn't already a huge job on its own, over the past several months Janet has also been stepping up in all kinds of different ways to make sure the school continues to function as it needs to.
Since there's been a shortage of bus drivers, one of the many ways she has stepped up is by taking kids home after school.
It's definitely not a job that we think of a principal doing. But Janet doesn't seem to care much about labels or even having to work overtime. She saw the need for help getting the kids home from school, so she stepped in.
The kids were surpirsed to see their principal in the bus driver's seat, too, Janet told Good Morning Ameria. "The first couple of times I drove it was really comical because I'm on the bus as the bell rings, as the kids are dismissed," she said. "The kids are like, 'Why are you driving the bus? Do you know how to drive the bus? I say, 'Yes. I got my license to do it.'"
It's so heartwarming to see this amazing woman going above and beyond. But in many ways, that's what is needed right now across the country. For Janet, stepping up and doing what needs to be done just feels like an extension of her job.
Janet definitely knows what it takes to run a school. She's been the principal of Fancy Farm for 11 years. But about two years ago, she got her commercial driver's license. That allowed her to substitute as a bus driver during field trips, which would, in turn, save the district budget money.
That has clearly come in handy lately in a big way! Especially because right now, Janet says she's short two drivers who have fallen ill with the virus. "It's been very difficult for bus drivers, aides, cafeteria workers — it affects every aspect of what we do," she said. "Although [the virus] hasn't affected kids very much, you still consider schools a germ area. We don't blame them."
She continued, "You help where you need to help because that's what you need to do. We've been short custodians, so you help take out trash. Our goal for the entire school year is to have kids in these buildings because we definitely believe that's where the best learning takes place."
It seems like what Janet will do to help the school, and the students, really knows no bounds. Not only has she driven the bus and helped with other various tasks, she's also driven kids home who missed the bus, and even helped out with remote learning.
That has meant actually making house calls when students were having tech struggles before they returned to in-person learning on Monday. I mean … we thought we'd heard it all, but princials making house calls? That's a new one!
Janet clearly has so much passion for her job and really loves her students. It just goes to show how much one person who really cares can contribute. Janet is absolutely a shining example of not just an incredible principal, but an exceptional human.
Her community must be so proud.
