Every morning, Sharon Hittle waves at passing cars and hums a tune as she waits for her kids.
Retirement didn't last long for Hittle. She became a crossing guard seven years ago and doesn't plan on putting her stop sign down any time soon.
"Sitting in a house staring at four walls is not me," Hittle said. "Really, I had nothing else to do!"
She said this job keeps her young, but it's really the kids who keep her coming back.
"You get to know them and then you feel like they're you're own children really," Hittle said.
Hittle is one of 17 crossing guards for Waco ISD. They cover 15 different campuses.
Interim Chief David Williams with the Waco ISD Police Department said they're looking to hire four more people. This will take the load off of officers who have been filling in.
"I myself, I'll get out and I grab my vest and my stop sign and we'll get out and stop cars. Do everything we can to keep the babies safe," Williams said.
Williams said they are happy to help out whenever they can, but it does take them away from their regular duties.
"We would rather have our policemen out handling those criminal offenses," Williams said. "Stopping those cars from speeding in the crosswalk."
Crossing guards work two hours a day Monday through Friday. They'll come for one hour in the morning before school begins and one hour in the afternoon once it lets out.
They are paid anywhere from $9 to $11 an hour.
Williams said they would be lucky to have more people like Hittle join the team.
"At the end of the day, I'll say 'have a good evening' or a 'good weekend'. Then they say it back to me," Hittle said. "It makes me smile and it makes me proud to do what I'm doing."
If you're interested in becoming a crossing guard, you can call the Waco ISD Police Department at 254-752-0858 and ask for Interim Chief David Williams.
Midway ISD has a total of 13 crossing guards and is not looking to hire more. The MISD spokesperson said their crossing guards are tied to other positions such as teacher aides, custodians and cafeteria staff.
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