719. Our lady cleaners are great




One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “Yesterday I entered my classroom and at once I saw a big spot of blue ink on the floor. I stopped and said something about the stain, in a calm voice but making them think about what had happened. The point was I tried to make them be aware of their responsibilities. My mood was serious and disappointed.


I asked who had done it. I talked about the extra work that spot meant for the lady cleaners of our school. Their work schedule is demanding and they’re in charge of the school cleaning, the chapel, the kitchens, the bathrooms. And removing that spot should imply about thirty minutes.


Those ladies were mothers of families perhaps, adults of course, respectable workers, and carried out their work at the school with good disposition.


I guess they, or most of them, grasped the message. I think they’ve scarcely observed them when cleaning or making meals, or at least some of them haven’t. Do they value this professional work?


Something else, look: once I somewhere read that all we teachers do at the center has to be an educative process. Sounds good. I’d like to have helped my students reckon this somehow-hidden but indispensable work. I hope they’d be more grateful to those ladies and their work.” / Photo from: ceh org. cleaning lady

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