Day Two Hundred & Eighteen: 8/21/2023
Today was the soft launch of the school year. The incoming sixth graders were the only students to occupy the building before the rest of the academic pupils rule the hallways. To help them get acclimated to the space they all participated in a scavenger hunt. This led them this way and that way. Up and down between the basement and the second floor. It was ingriguing to watch all of these literal children run amock!
Because I’m only responsible for the seventh and eighth grade hallways, I didn’t have to exert much of any energy. Which is totally appropriate for how much energy I exerted over the last ten weeks. So much work was performed to get the space to a condition befitting these talented kiddos.
I spent a lot of time speaking with fellow coworkers when I first arrived. These are the people that I miss the most during the summer. I don’t have any stimulating conversations when we have to work so diligently. So, while we had a few moments we embraced our similar interests and I caught up with these fine teachers. Most of them wanted to know how I’ve been.
It’s funny when they ask how my summer was. All I’ve been saying is, “at least we had air conditioning.” That really was the highlight of my summer.
Day Two Hundred & Nineteen: 8/22/2023
Made it through the first day of the school year! Yay, granted my part is not as hard as having to wrangle thirty plus students per classroom. My job is just to ensure that things are clean for tomorrow. I believe that I accomplished that. With as minimal effort as I could muster. Not saying that I’m lazy, I mean just a little bit, but it's still so warm. Even when I’m putting in minimal effort, I’m still sweating my ass off. It isn’t fun to basically melt the shift away.
I only have one grievance, well two in fact. One of them is gum. On the first day I found chewed gum pressed into the perfectly clean carpet of the seventh grade math class. I was able to pull up as much as I could, but the residue remains. The other grievance was the amount of tissue paper used in the seventh grade girl’s bathroom. First day and almost all of the toilet paper was used, a large portion was left on the ground. It’s just rude!
How quickly the space gets destroyed is the reason why I don’t want to work another summer as a custodian. Because these kids don’t respect the space. Within a matter of minutes they disregard the amount of energy it takes to make the space as pristine as possible. The lack of consideration is so utterly frustrating. I just hope that the rest of the week goes smoothly and I’ll just fall into my routine.
Day Two Hundred & Twenty: 8/23/2023
Well, I don’t have much to report as it felt like any other day. The first day always has it’s challenges and now we are on the journey. Can’t turn back now. All of the effort from the last two months don’t matter, because, all of the surfaces are going to be defiled by the children. It just depends if we can all survive together.
I have decided to be much more stern when it comes to my hallway. It is the the seventh and eighth grade hallway. NOT, the hallway to hangout, mess around, or make unnecessary messes. I prefer not to speak to any of the students, just because I want to be the enigma that cleans the space and nothing more. I don’t want to have to be a disciplinary person, but I’m going to have to…I suppose.
Day Two Hundred & Twenty-one: 8/24/2023
I think they are turning the air conditioning off after a certain time. It’s been a hot week, yes, but the one reprieve from the heat has been the cooling components of the building. Except, we’ve noticed that it seems to get warmer and warmer after 7pm. I’ve spent most of my evening sweating profusely.
Which is odd because I’m putting in the bare minimum. I’m not trying to over exert myself, yet, I can’t wait to get home to take a shower. I need to wash off all this sweat. It feels humid in the place. Supposedly, the temperature is going to drop tomorrow. I’m looking forward to a day that won’t reach 90 degrees.
Day Two Hundred & Twenty-two: 8/25/2023
It has been an emotional week. The first week of the school year has highs and lows that can’t be ignored. I did my best, but it is always difficult when your coworkers don't show up. Two of my coworkers called out sick, requiring me and my coworker Roman to be the only custodians in the building. The space is just too large for only two people. We were only able to do the trash and bathrooms. Shame to leave it looking like a mess.
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