The Real Hero of the School? The Custodian

Thank you for keeping us safe.

Man cleans table in office during COVID-19
Before office workers arrive, a mid adult businessman sanitizes a conference table in an office. He is wearing a protective face mask.

Dear School Custodian,

We don’t appreciate you enough.

Sam Ewing, a former professional baseball player, once said, “Hard work spotlights the character of people: Some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”

Custodians 
 Thank you for turning up. Thank you for rolling up your sleeves. Thank you for helping with the chaos of COVID cleaning. And thank you for working hard, even when some of us turn up our noses. 

The next time you walk down the hall and your keys jangle in your pocket, listen to them. Your keys sing a song of duty, honor, and dedication:

You are key to our healthy environment

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You sanitize and clean every possible surface under the daily requirements of COVID. You disinfect germy desks and doorknobs every night. You are the house expert on blood-borne pathogens because the majority of the staff glazes over those lessons during the annual training. You, bless your heart, drop everything, grab some sawdust, and clean up vomit when a student throws up, which seems to happen all the time. You scrub the post-lunch cafeteria and dirty bathrooms. You know first-hand why “this smells like a locker room” is in our vernacular, but you do your very best.

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You are key to our safety and security

You understand that kids (and some adults) fail to look where they are going, so when a student spills water, you set up a cone, reroute the troops, and mop it up. After a big snow, you show up early and salt the sidewalks so we don’t slip and fall. You get on a tall ladder and replace spent light bulbs in dark hallways. You kick into gear when the school is on lockdown, to make sure what should be secure is. And when a car has a dead battery, whom do we call for a jump? You. I doubt that’s in your job description, but you come out to help. When we lock our rooms at night, we aren’t concerned that someone will get in because we trust you.

You are key to our comfort

Many school HVAC systems have a mind of their own, especially the old ones. You field the floods of “too hot” and “too cold” complaints and do your best to regulate because you understand when students are uncomfortable, they don’t learn, and when teachers are uncomfortable, we get cranky. You caulk drafty windows, grease squeaky doors, and sync the clocks.

You are key to our good image

You display our banners, flags, and awards with care. You make sure the grounds look good because you are as proud of the school as we are. 

And you can be the best role model of all

I dedicate this article to the wise and wonderful Eloise Krause, the evening custodian at the school where I started my teaching career. Our evening chats, conducted mostly while she arranged my classroom desks in neat rows, were about future goals and dreams, some likely, some lofty. She listened to and counseled me about some tough career decisions I had to make at the time. When I invited her to my wedding, I was delighted that she came. I often use the happy, red-checked tablecloth she gave us as a gift. A dozen years later, it still reminds me that no matter what your role in the machine, good character matters the most. For that, I am grateful.

Come share your shout-outs for the school custodian in our WeAreTeachers Chat group on Facebook.

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The Real Hero of the School? The Custodian