At 93 years old – Werner Niehle ensures a safe trip to school

On the other hand, she can’t understand the reaction of some parents, for example when the crossing guard points out that they’re parking illegally. “I sometimes find it a bit rude how some people react to him.” 

Werner Niehle has a simple recipe for dealing with frustration in volunteer work: “Calmness and resilience,” says the 93-year-old. “You have to take some things in stride, but that rarely happens.” A smile on his face is part of his work ethic, he says. And: Most of the time, “friendly cooperation” works out.

Volunteering for 15 years

Niehle, a native of Thuringia, has had many professions: a trained blacksmith, he also worked as a tractor driver and truck driver, and later as a teacher. He found his calling as a school crossing guard in his later years. As a retiree, he applied for a position advertised at the bakery. “I felt a bit useless and was looking for activity and exercise.” He has now been volunteering for more than 15 years—and plans to keep doing so for as long as possible.

“I’m tough,” says the 93-year-old. Whether the wind is howling, it’s raining, or there’s a storm. “I’ve always stuck it out without getting sick.” When the first students arrive shortly after seven, he’s already there. He finishes around eight. Then his wife is waiting for him at home. He came to Dresden for love—he’s lived in the Saxon capital for 25 years, and he stays fit by hiking and climbing.

Niehle is one of 35 school crossing guards in Dresden. “Our goal is to reach 40 by the end of the year,” says Frank Tiesler, executive director of Verkehrswacht Dresden. Students in eighth grade and older can volunteer—all the way up to seniors. For some locations, it’s not easy to find volunteers—such as on busy and dangerous streets. Even though the responsibility is great, Tiesler describes it as a rewarding task. “You start the day with lots of greetings and gratitude. Once you become a school crossing guard, you usually stay one for a very long time.”

“He has to make it to at least 100”

School crossing guards greet the children and check if the street is clear. “If there’s a gap, he blocks it and waits until the kids have reached the opposite sidewalk,” explains Tiesler.

For Astrid Flohr and her second-grade son Aaron, Werner Niehle is part of their daily school routine. “I think it’s great that he’s there.” Time and again, parents turn their cars around at the school entrance or double-park. When school crossing guard Niehle calls them out on it, he sometimes gets snapped at, she reports. She can’t understand that. “After all, he just wants all the children to arrive safely.” She hopes the volunteer will continue to keep the children safe on their way to school for a long time to come. “He has to keep going until he’s at least 100.”

The sprightly senior is far from thinking about retiring. “I’ll keep doing this as long as I can.” For Werner Niehle, 93 is just a number. “What matters isn’t that I’m 93, but that I’m spry and can still manage everything.”

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