Janitor teaches kids lessons on literacy, responsibility
As Capitol Hill elementary school custodian Fran DeTracie proclaims Evan Landry is The Scrap King, the Grade 3 student puts his arms up in the air, does a triumphant, Yes! and then scurries across the classroom floor on his hands and knees looking for scraps of garbage.
If theres anybody that can get scrap off the floors its Evan, says DeTracie. Hes got them cleaned up before you get a chance to do your job.
Lest anyone think being a member of the Capitol Hills Junior Custodian Club isnt cool, Landry slides on a pair of snazzy sunglasses before heading home.
Notes in wax
It was three years ago when DeTracie decided to brighten up her
quiet evening drudgery and connect with the schools kids while, at the
same time, encouraging literacy and social responsibility.
DeTracie, whose work day begins when the boys and girls go home, began leaving notes on the blackboards and desks praising students for cleaning up their areas. Sometimes theyd have spelling or grammatical errors for them to correct. On some occasions when she was stripping wax off the floor she would write questions into the old wax and theyd write the answer back the next day before shed clean it off.
Youve got to keep it cool, keep it relevant, says DeTracie.
Eventually the Junior Custodian Club was formed with its first member being precocious Amy Rauh, who is now club president and in Grade 3. A club newsletter was developed with her classmate Calamus Yu, the clubs second member, as its editor. Now theres 65 in the club whose members proudly display their Junior Custodian Club badges.
Inspirational walls
The janitors room at Capitol Hill used to be a boys washroom.
DeTracies desk sits beside the urinals and while the stalls are devoid
of toilets they are crammed with mops, vacuums, garbage containers,
brushes, a floor polisher and ladders, amongst many custodial
necessities. But high up on the walls above the stalls, urinals and
sinks are notes from the students in reply to her overnight messages.
There are so many that soon shell have to begin pasting them to the
ceiling. These walls are quite an inspiration to me. Some of this work
gets pretty monotonous and all I have to do is look up and get
inspiration, says DeTracie. The neat thing is to watch their literacy
skills develop over the years.
DeTracie has worked for the Burnaby school district for 21 years. The first 15 she did Child and Youth Care counselling, but then took up custodial work so she could upgrade her diploma to a degree by going to class at Douglas College in the morning and working to pay her mortgage in the evening. In my 21 years with the district this is the most positive of my work experiences, she says. It really feels like youre part of a community.
Positive reinforcement
Teaching social responsibility is done in the schools but, she
says, it can use some positive reinforcement because teachers are
overworked just doing the curriculum. Although most kids take the
janitor for granted because they dont see the work involved, her notes
teaches them about doing the right thing and taking more responsibility
for their own situation. And she does it in a fun way. Theres a tenth of
the stuff on the floor than there used to be, she says as she whips
through a classroom collecting garbage.
When she first started, DeTracie didnt tell anybody about what she was doing. But word of her nightly messages quietly spread throughout the school. I was excited, recalls principal Susan Masson. Its always great to see when kids are writing for a real purpose.
Masson knew DeTracie and her club were a hit one day when a little boy came rushing up to her and said proudly, I came to tell you theres a mess in the washroom that needs to be cleaned up. Im a junior custodian, you know.
Grant Granger
12 March 2009
http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/burnabynewsleader/news/41162579.html
