When I was student teaching in Houston, Minnesota, my supervising teacher told me that it was most important to be kind to the school cooks and custodians. She told me these were the behind-the-scenes folks who really kept the school running well, along with some others who aren’t always recognized.
The cooks in Houston were wonderful ladies who were always pleasant and would always put a little extra on my tray. When I came to NRHEG, I was pleased to find the same thing here. The custodian who cleaned my room in Houston was a great guy and always kept everything in working order, which was especially important to a young guy who didn’t know where to find items I needed. I’m still able to say that, with my current room looked after and taken care of whenever I need something done.
It’s bothersome to hear students sometimes complain about items related to our cooks or custodians. It’s hard to make food for hundreds of kids each day, so you might not always receive a meal like you would at a fancy sit-down restaurant. But the cooks have a lot of regulations to follow regarding calories and the food groups. Plus, the increasing emergence of food allergies is making the job even more difficult. I’ve been reading how many schools are either going nut-free or having nut-free zones in their eating areas.
Our cooks work hard every day to provide a balanced meal to the kids based on all those rules and a budget. I daresay not many of us could do a better job! There are options between hot lunch and salad bar; if neither is really for you, pack a lunch. But respect the work that goes on for your nutrition.
I’m even more bothered when I’ll see a student drop something on the floor and not pick it up. When asked to do that, I’ll sometimes hear, “That’s what we have janitors for.” Um, no, it’s not. Our custodians sweep, vacuum, empty trash, and numerous other tasks every single day, including days there are no students. They shouldn’t have to pick up after everyone too. Sometimes I’ll ask a student if they just drop garbage on the floor at home too, and then I remember what my own kids’ rooms look like!
There’s a lot of work that goes on over the summer as well; the custodians have a lot to do with most of us out of their way. And there are always new things popping up throughout the year. We teachers can be demanding: if something breaks or stops working in my room, I want it fixed, and they’re usually able to take care of it right away.
And these are just some of those people you might not always notice when you come in the school. You probably will notice our secretaries since you’re likely to stop in the office. They are really the captains of the ship! A good secretarial staff will keep things running smoothly, even when it seems like everything’s burning down around them. Our office staff is top-notch, and I’ve been in the office during times of crisis and marveled at their ability to maintain calm and help guide everyone, including teachers, students, and administrators, in the right direction.
These ladies do much more than answer phones, trust me! They have plenty of paperwork to deal with and are really the ones who often keep administration sane. Plus, they have to know the names of every single student when they arrive in the office. Toughest of all might be giving that smile to everyone, no matter how hard a day it’s been!
Our paraprofessionals also do integral work in the school. Sometimes people think all paras do is make copies, work on bulletin boards, and read items to students. But it’s so much more than that. They spend much of their time doing really hardcore teaching. Remember, they work with students who really struggle and have learning disabilities. They have to find a way to help those students understand material that’s exceedingly difficult and help those students find ways to improve and find success.
Some of our paras have become so good and well-versed in some subjects, they could likely teach a class themselves! These people are well-educated and compassionate. They have great empathy for the kids they work with and sometimes find that other students also seek them out because of their great ability to help all students understand.
One last group is our bus drivers. I’ve been asked about every year if I would get my license to drive the big yellow machines, but I wouldn’t want that immense responsibility, with so many lives riding behind me, or the headaches that can come with the job. Our bus drivers have to be the safest drivers on the road, wrangle the buses through bad weather on bad roads, and try to keep some measure of calm in the chaos that arises in those seats. They might very well have the most difficult job of anybody in a school system!
So hats off to all these people who are the real heroes in a school! Teachers are certainly important, but we couldn’t do our jobs without the strong efforts of all these others. Thank you!
Also, a very merry Christmas to all of you! Thank you for your continued readership and feedback – may you all enjoy the warmth of the holiday season!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is footle, which means to waste time, as in, “The para didn’t allow the student to footle during class since there was an assignment due.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!