Those who know Linda Price say you should not be fooled if she seems gruff at first glance. In fact, they will tell you the 63-year-old crossing guard for McGaugh Elementary School in Seal Beach is known for having a heart of gold.
Although it may be hard to see it right away, they say that one only has to look at Linda’s corner, where she faithfully helps local children cross the street to safety, to know the real person inside. Recently the street corner was gleefully decorated with Halloween jokes.
Fans of Price have come to see the joy the woman gets out of what some might consider a humdrum job. “Miss Linda,” as she is known to many, say she shows that you get out of a job what you put into it.
From that measurement, Price must be getting a lot out of her job. Since Long Beach Transit cancelled its extended bus service to Seal Beach a little over a year ago, Price, a resident of downtown Long Beach starts her day at 3:50 a.m.
She takes two busses to get to Seal Beach by 6 a.m.
When students and parents arrive at her corner starting around 7:30 a.m., they are greeted with a smile, and informed of the current day’s schedule and weather.
More than once, Price has saved the author of this article from picking her son up at the wrong time.
In the 18 years Price has worked as a crossing guard for McGaugh, she has not missed a day of work, except for when she was dragged into a harassment dispute between two parents that took place in her cross walk and she had to appear as a witness.
Price has been knocked down by cars, hit by bicyclists, called every rude name in the book and told nasty things about what she can do with her sign.
Despite all the challenges of the job, Price says that of the several occupations she has had in her life, including librarian, in-home care worker, Sunday school teacher and pharmacy clerk, crossing students at McGaugh is her favorite.
She is known to be passionate about the safety of local school children, and to be willing to jump in front of a car to protect a child. Perhaps that is why no children have been injured under her watch.
She admits that she is not shy about letting people know when they are breaking the rules in her cross walk.
If some parents have at times felt like a child being scolded by the hard-working woman, most keep in mind the delight she brings to the children’s morning, such as when she wears all green for St. Patrick’s Day, or hands out Valentine’s, or dresses up as a stop sign for Halloween.
Those who know her say her true demeanor says it all. That Price isn’t asking for anything but a smile, and perhaps only for all of us to let out our own inner child – even if it’s just for a short walk across the street.
