Duck also provides services to the parents, such as helping them get coats for their children, referring their kids to doctors and arranging transportation for them if needed. In the mornings, she shows up at the school, opens her mail, makes a pot of coffee, and goes to stand outside in front of the cafeteria doors to greet kids and parents as they come in. They call me by my first name, and a lot of times they'll come in here first. While friendliness comes naturally to Duck, exerting constant positive energy sometimes takes work. I have to stay positive.
Counseling is a time for nurturing.
And while she brings fun and support to the students and parents, it's often for situations that can be difficult to handle. Sometimes it gets frustrating that it has to be this way, but that's why you get up in the morning and come back. And of course, the rewards of a job helping people are abundant.