Taylor Emrey Glascock

chicago photojournalist

1.816.244.5663

tayloremrey@gmail.com

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essay: wanda

Wanda has worked at Glasgow school as a bus driver for 50 years, and a cafeteria worker and custodian for 22 years. She loves her job and retirement is the farthest thing from her mind.

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    Wanda mops one of the preschool classrooms after the students left for the afternoon. Although most of her time at the school is spent in empty classrooms, Wanda knows each of the students by name.

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    Wanda stops her grandson Blake Neville, 11, as he walks into a classroom at Glasgow Elementary. “They don’t like grandma working here because I know what they’re doing before mom and dad do,” she said.

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    Wanda secures a mop with a safety pin in between cleaning classrooms. With her three jobs at the school, she barely has time to sit. However, “I feel better working,” she said.

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    Wanda talks business with a fellow custodian at the office of the elementary school. Earlier on in the day, a potential bus driver, Sonny, forgot his official paperwork. “Never a dull moment,” she said.

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    Wanda waits for students to board her bus at the end of the day. She loves driving the bus and the kids that ride it, but after the age of 70, drivers have to take a yearly written test. “It gets harder each year,” she said.

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    Rosie, 8, glances out the window during her afternoon ride home on Wanda's bus. Wanda said that she usually has about 16 kids on the bus, but it varies day to day.

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    Wanda leaves her bus, and heads back to school to do more cleaning. “I keep saying that next year will be my last year, but you never know. As it gets closer I might change my mind, ” she said.

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All images © Taylor Emrey Glascock 2012 unless otherwise noted — Built with Virb