With all this talk about accountability lately, no one bothered to find someone to hold accountable for school cleanliness. Blackboards are rarely washed which makes writing difficult to read. There is chalk dust everywhere. Overhead projectors are covered with dust. Floor washing takes place, I believe, twice a year. No one is responsible for cleaning common computers and the tables they sit on. Think NYC school and filth will come to mind.
As I was ranting about the state of uncleanliness today, someone mentioned a teacher that cleans her own space. Truthfully, if I had my own space, I would keep that clean too, but as for cleaning a common area,
NO WAY!
So far, no one has suggested doing away with janitors by letting teachers do this work, but, if things keep going the way they are, this will definitely be the wave of the future.
6 comments:
Yeah, this would definitely piss me off, big time! Thankfully, my little ones LOVE to clean. They actually fight over who gets to clean the room. There are some places (our computer lab, for example) that are common areas in our school, and I can NOT take the filth! I'm tempted to bring cleaning wipes with me to let my kids disinfect the keyboards and mice before we use them! Yuk!
The second nastiest place in the school - the teacher's lounge!!! I can not believe the slobs I work with! I haven't eaten in there in about 7 years, because I'd rather just eat at my desk. And, as much as people like to say it's the janitors' fault, I say NO WAY! Everyone there is a damn adult, clean up after yourself, for God's sake!! And the janitors do the big stuff (like wash the floors) regularly. But, they should not be expected to wipe the tables down 10 times a day, or clean out the microwave after some pig lets their lunch explode in there. Maybe I'm the only one who feels that way, I don't know. But, the way I see it, they aren't there to be my maid or butler, ya know?
Sheesh, where the hell did that rant come from?!
I'm with you on people cleaning up after themselves but I'm talking about dust and grime that accumulates when areas are not taken care of.
I wish I had a desk to sit at. Today, I held three tutoring sessions on the floor outside the cafeteria. The floor is no dirtier than the tables our computers sit on.
Even people with their own classrooms don't clean. Luckily, my students loved to help out too. I like my classroom looking clean. Baby wipes donated to my classroom helped a lot too because when kids came back from using the bathroom, even if they claimed to wash their hands, had to still use a wipe. And it was easy to take a few to wipe up desk areas too. Yet I know many teachers who keep their rooms a mess. They leave books, supplies etc on the floor for the custodian to mop up. And I believe they don't have to put books aside if they are swept away. Why a classroom teacher can't ask their kids to pick up after themselves is beyond me! But it paid off for me because the custodial staff loved me and would not mind doing me favors when I asked.
The teachers' room is a whole other story!! No one goes there anymore. However, with flu season upon us, school custodians should be proactive and clean these areas as well.
I was always afraid to sit anywhere on the floor in my old school. I know the mice come out to play at night.
My first year of teaching, (this is pre-k)I had a child who had a #2 (which was at the end of the day). Some of it got onto the chair and floor. I went to the custodian's office and explained that a child got feces on the floor from an accident. He said it would be cleaned up right away. I even left a note saying, "Feces on chair and floor. Please clean me." so no one will forget. Oh famous last words.
The very next day, I walk into my room at 7:15am and see the floor still unclean. They are supposed to sweep the floors and vacuum the carpets everyday. How can they miss cleaning poop on the floor?"
Speaking of asking children to pick up after themselves...I had my students trained from day 1 to pick up any table toys that were underneath the tables. I knew better and wanted them to pick up the toys, not me who would have to keep on bending down to clean.
I teach in H.S. and am in the same room all day (2 other teachers teach 1 period each in my room). I go in 1/2 hour earlier and clean every desk top, empty any garbage from desks and wash my board. My reason? The custodians don't do these things and I am ashamed for the children that adults don't care enough to give them a clean space to sit. The kids learn to keep it clean and appreciate my efforts so we all win!
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