Unsung Heroes
Back Row:Paul Truman, Earl Miller, Gerald Berger;
Front Row: Supervisor Bill Buchanan, Bob Ogama, Nader Joseph.
Out at time of photo: Mike Shea, Tammie Severance (Morning Shift).
In a school there are a lot of unsung heroes, like teachers, students, and café staff. However, one department often doesn’t get the full recognition it deserves. That’s why our custodians are symbols of unsung heroes in our school.
The job of a custodian is very unpredictable, because the school day is very unpredictable. For example, this year when there was no water in the school, the custodians were the first to try to fix the problem. I asked one of the custodians what happened that day. He said, “One of the main water stages broke in town, and all the water that flows through the school and other houses was shut down.” We often underestimate what custodians do to keep this school running at 100%.
One administrator said: “It’s physical labor — a very hard job, and some jobs are messy and uncomfortable. They are willing to help out anyone and I am grateful to have them.” Although the custodians here work very hard, students still leave messy tables that only take a few minutes to clean up. When students don’t clean up their messes, the custodians must step in and clean something that really should not be part of their job. A custodian’s job is to keep our classrooms clean, not to be the students’ maids.
As Daley Ford explains, “They are cleaning up kids throw up and cleaning the same mess over and over. However, they never get mad.” Every single student and teacher should be grateful for having these people in their lives, because if we didn’t, this would be a messy school; the bathrooms would be like those in jail, and the classrooms would smell. So next time you see a custodian, thank him or her for the hard work he or she puts in to make our school a clean learning environment. Also, if you see a table that is messy, clean it up, because it’s not their job to clean up after our mess. They have enough to do!