Ronald, Security, Sidwell Friends School

When I met Mr. Ford in his office, he was delighted to find out about my project and eager to share with me a short story he had recently written. This is a transcript of him reading me his story, a retrospective on his time at Sidwell. His love for the school and his general cheerfulness was radiant throughout our interview.

Ronald in the Security Office

“My name is Officer Ronald M. Ford, 22 year member of the Security Staff at Sidwell Friends School. This is a short story that I wrote concerning my tenure here at Sidwell, and it’s called The Learning Tree: My Experience at Sidwell Friends School.  Written November 20, 2009.

“It was thirty five years ago, 1974 to be exact. I can go that far back. That’s when I first experienced Sidwell Friends School. I had decided to cut school one day, and I was with an older friend named John who owned a car. He was familiar with the schools in the area because he graduated from Western High School, which would later become Duke Ellington. We passed the school on our way to Roy Rogers which was located across the street where the McDonald’s is presently located. I proceeded to ask him all kinds of questions about the place. I was really interested. I watched the kids play tennis and the girls play field hockey in their preppy plaid skirts. I had never seen this type of game up close. They sure didn’t play it where I grew up. I surmised that this was no ordinary school. My friend schooled me on the fact that this was a school for kids from well-to-do backgrounds whose parents had high-end jobs and were well educated, and it included some black kids. I was really impressed now.

It was a little over 15 years later that I responded to an ad in the Washington Post for a position in security at the very school that I marveled at years earlier. I had twelve years of law enforcement experience prior to being hired by Sidwell Friends School.  It didn’t take me long to realize, as far as security goes, the duties in the department were a step back that that this was a different work environment different than any I’d ever been in, job wise. Security officers were not trained in the details of law enforcement, wore lousy uniforms, and the department head appeared to lack any background in law enforcement. Security seemed to be another extension of the Buildings and Grounds Department and functioned like handy men: whenever we were handy, we were the men.

Then there were the kids. They were bright, but some of them came off as cocky, rude, and had an air of entitlement about them. I was also amazed at how liberal the place was, but my coworker, Southeast Harry Young, got me acclimated quickly. In no time, I was used to the kids, their parents, and the staff. It was only a small percentage of the students and parents that seem to stain the fabric of the school. But nothing is perfect where people are involved, and in fact, I had my share of baggage, and had a reputation for being too off the cuff and opinionated.

I’ve grown as a person working here, and my department has also. In 1993, they finally hired someone with law enforcement background who also was a professional to lead our department. He had everyone in the department trained and schooled in our duties of a special police, an upgrade from security guard. And he had furnished with better uniforms and allowed us to be part of the school community. I sat on the Faculty-Staff Council several times. I sat on the short-lived Faculty Staff Relations Committee with board members Alvin Nichols, Mrs. Gittens, and Mr. McBride. I also was appointed to the Diversity Committee by the outgoing Head of School. I went to a couple meetings of the group, which was headed by Carol Swanson. I never felt the group, I called it the Tippy Toe Committee, it danced around real life issues to me. And besides that, being too honest and open with people can be hurtful, and this school’s principles won’t allow for that.

I also used to write a column in the school newspaper called Security Corner. This was fun, and allowed me to express my views and the views of my department. One member of our department won the Goldberg Family Award in 2003. So this indicated to me we were being embraced by the school community, and I no longer felt disdain or like a handkerchief-head.

I’m very thankful to be part of the school community, and no matter what happens down the pike, I will always feel blessed to have had the opportunity to have worked at this learning institution. It has truly been a learning tree.”

"Nothing is perfect where people are involved."