Cleaning the blackboards is part of the custodial staff’s job description, dumbshit. They are getting paid to do it. The school system isn’t getting their money’s worth from the custodians if the teachers do it. If Rubystreak cleans the board, then she should receive some part of the custodian’s pay in addition to her teaching salary.
We went through a similar situation where I teach. The custodians got down to where they were doing nearly nothing at all. They’d clock in and sit on their asses in the faculty lounges smoking and drinking beer until quitting time. Things improved only when the district hired a new director of physical plant. He shitcanned nearly all the existing custodial staff and hired new people who would do the job they were hired to do.
Are you saying that someone should do another person’s job in the name of “personal responsibility”? Might want to think that through a second time. Why not just go right to the kicking up hell about it part until they’re forced to uphold their own personal responsibility?
Boo Boo Foo also doesn’t seem to understand that before a teacher has tenure, she can’t “kick up a fuss” about much of anything. It’s all about flying under the radar until such time as you have job security. Fighting a war with the custodial staff is not something I’m in a position to do.
The bloody noses are embarrassing, actually, and they freak the kids out, but they’re never really that bad, just a trickle. I just always have this scabby mess up in there. I’m seeing my doctor in a couple of weeks and I might try to get him to write me a note, but part of me thinks it’s not worth it. Calling attention to yourself as a whiner or a troublemaker is never a good idea at this point in my career.
At least my board is clean now. I think I’m just going to keep a sponge and some water in the room and clean it daily so the dust doesn’t build up. But, for the record, IT PISSES ME OFF b/c it should be my job.
Exactly - plus it’s a bad use of the teacher’s time for the school. The instructor is (I hope) getting paid more than a janitor; it costs them more to have her do these duties in addition to paying the janitor to futz around doing whatever instead of cleaning boards. It’s similar to if the receptionist at the doctor’s office decided she couldn’t answer phones or organize charts anymore; should the doctor just say oh well and do it himself? He might but that’s not a very smart use of resources.
You’re underrating your own contributions and overrating my contributions here. Given your profession, your assertion is just plain disingenuous. I’ve stated the following sentence 3 times now and you’ve steadfastly avoided it’s implications because the ramifications don’t sit well with you - namely, you’ve claimed that just one single incident involving yourself was enough to implement an entire school wide policy change regarding who is responsible for cleaning your work boards. Clearly, this has been an issue in the making for some time, in some manner or another. Either that, or you really played the martyr card for all it was worth.
Thank you for finally admitting what you didn’t have the guts to do in your opening post - namely, you simply just DON’T WANT TO DO IT. Kudos to you for finally admitting this.
It still doesn’t matter. Thanks to the fine actions of Rubystreak, now, not only does she (but also all of her fellow teachers) have to do the job themselves. Personally, I can’t get past the “woe is me” whining here. It’s a friggin’ blackboard. It’s not some gargantuan project on a par with putting a man on the moon. As my quote above clearly shows, the real issue is not that janitors have sided together, it’s the fact she’s pissed she has to do a job she thinks is below her. My question is this… if it’s so hard for Rubystreak, where’s all the whining by every other school teacher around the world who has to clean their own blackboard? All the people who are siding here with Rubystreak are overlooking this simple fundamental truth now - it’s NO LONGER the job of the Custodians - ergo, by definition, complaining about it being her job now is nothing more than whining it seems to me. Sure, I’ve been a voice of dissent in this thread, but let’s not lose sight of the truth here. Rubystreak is perfectly entitled to be hurt by the dishonesty and lack of responsibility shown by the janitor(s) however, everything else regarding having to wash the work boards is now superceded by her reluctan admission that she honestly doesn’t want to do it. Well, millions of school teachers the world over (including I daresay the USA) have to do such a job and I don’t hear any of THEM whining.
In answer to your second question first, because it fails to get the job accomplished. I have no respect for anyone who would rather get into a job description pissing match than getting the job done. It flies in the face of being pro-active. It sends all sorts of signals about being “too precious” to do a menial janitor’s job. Life sucks sometimes. Everyone I’ve ever known who has been successful in business at some point in their life had to do a job they didn’t like. Without exception, the people who whined the least ended up being the most successful.
In answer to your first question, no I’m not saying that. Refer to the above paragraph.
I know this is jumping in mid-game here, but it looks like your real beef is that a person should just do it, and if a person doesn’t, then somehow he or she is being elitist or playing a superiority card, no?
Forget about who you personally think should or shouldn’t wash the boards. Regardless, in this specific work environment the division of labor had fallen such that until now it was the janitorial staff’s responsibility. This isn’t demeaning, or lazy, or anything else, just the way whoever’d been in charge had divided up the work that needed to be done. In most places of employment, different employees have different responsibilities. If someone stops meeting his or her responsibilities (for which he/she is getting paid), and that effects someone else’s ability/efficiency, that person has damned right got a leg to stand on, regardless of his or her ability to pick up the slack.
It seems like you’re unable to get over your own personal idea that everyone should just suck it up to address the real issue, namely (and assuming truth in the OPs reporting, which we have no reason to doubt):
Co-workers of the OP goofed, and then first lied to the boss about knowing anything about it, and then in private accused the OP of having caused the goof.
Boo Boo Foo I have some empathy for the position you’re espousing. Mostly in a situation where a group of people are trying to work out how to get something simple done and it’s taking longer to do that than it would to accomplish the task itself. That “Oh for fuck’s sake, here I’ll do it!” kind of thing, if it’s for a one-time task. But not when it is someone else’s ongoing job. No fuckin way. It isn’t whining to assert yourself in the matter without enabling them to get away with shirking their job. Posting about it here could be called whining, but it equally can be called ranting or venting.
Yes I know technically the blackboards aren’t the janitor’s job anymore and that’s even worse! Try changing the situation slightly. Imagine it’s your child doing the dishes and they break a plate while doing so. They then lie to you about it and refuse to do them anymore. Would you then take over dish doing duty for them until the problem of who’s responsibility it is was worked out? It’s a simple job too, but that’s not the point is it?
Oh well, that’s my best shot at trying to explain my point of view.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to reply to a very specific question. To wit: I honestly believe that my real beef is that Rubystreak’s position has drifted throught this thread. At first I was happy to merely state that she could have been more pro-active in hindsight. But then she announced that she has no idea how to clean a blackboard. That pushes my “poor damsel” alert. Then she announced she has sinus allergies. That pushes me “medical reasons” alert. Then she finally admitted she simply doesn’t want to do it. That pushes my “laziness” alert - and to be fair, I still wouldn’t give a stuff EXCEPT that it’s nothing more intellectually challenging than washing a blackboard.
I agree entirely. Very poor form. I’ve never once denied this.
How so? Millions of teachers the world wash their own blackboards. Why should Rubystreak be extended an exemption on the sympathy meter simply because she’s now one of those millions?
Damn right I’d do the dishwashing… my kitchen being clean and hygeninc is far more important than a pissing match with my 3 year old daughter over a household chore. I see your analogy and thanks for the input.
In 7 years of teaching, and 3rd year at this particular school, this is the very first time I was ever told it was my job to clean the blackboards. Disingenuous or not in your uninformed opinion, that’s the truth.
My situation was the straw that broke the camel’s back because the real issue was the whiteboards, which they’ve ruined before for other people. The blackboard issue was pure retaliation for that. They have always washed my board before without complaint. Thus, my feelings of being victimized-- they ruin my whiteboard, and not only do they lie and get away with it, but now I have more work. Can you see why I’d feel a bit ill used here?
Huh? Who WANTS to do shit like that? Of course I don’t want to do it. I definitely don’t want to do it as punishment for speaking up about my whiteboards. It IS a matter of principle, but they’ve finally won, which pisses me off to no end.
You’re putting words in my mouth. I think you need to chill the fuck out, here. I don’t think it’s below me. I think it’s a dirty job. I’m expected to dress up for work, and washing a chalkboard is not conducive to keeping clean. I also don’t have the supplies and don’t think I should have to buy them out of my own money. Fortunately, I found a sponge eraser somewhere and got a bucket from home. I also think it’s a poor use of my time, which should be spent on instruction and supporting my instruction.
In my experience in 3 different schools, IT’S NOT THE TEACHER’S JOB, so they don’t whine about it. Do. You. Understand. This? I have never been asked to wash the boards before. It has always been the custodian’s job as a matter of course.
You keep missing the fact that it’s still up in the air whose job it is.
Oh spare me. I’m not too precious. I just don’t think it’s my job and it only became my job because the janitors are lazy, lying assholes. That’s what I resent. If it had been my job all along, I’d be fine with it. It wasn’t. Get it? It’s still their job to wash the desks and vacuum, but if they decide they don’t like doing that, and claim that I encouraged the kids to write on the desks, will THAT become my job too? Sure seems that way. The whole situation is bullshit and you’re on the wrong side of this argument,** BooBoo**. You’re siding with cowardly, lying, shiftless jerks.
Another former school custodian checking in–I worked in a community college, responsible for cleaning the upper floor of the largest building on campus. It contained the admin offices, the library, several classrooms and the largest public restrooms the campus had.
It is not a help for instructors and other staff to do their own cleaning. Clueless instructors, using whatever fucking thing comes to hand to clean something up and ruining whiteboards!!! You can recondition them and I see you’ve already received a link to a good product for the job. When I was a custodian, I hated having to re-do other people’s work and, no, you can’t just skip a room because the instructor said they cleaned it.
Boo Boo Foo, you are being an ass in this thread. The custodians didn’t do their job adequately to begin with, so Rubystreak had to remind them to do the job. Then they get pissed about the reminder so they retailiate by ruining her poor innocent whiteboard. Then they lie. Sure, Rubystreak could have washed the board herself, but she didn’t and she should feel free to come her and bitch about the outcome of this shitty situation without you turning this into a thread about what you consider to be her character flaws. Even if her only complaint was “I don’t want to clean the blackboards,” whine, whine, whine; that’s well within her rights as cleaning them wasn’t/isn’t her fucking job!
I expect the people who are paid to clean the building I work in now to do a good job; when they don’t I report it to the office manager who takes it up with the custodial staff. Being a former custodian, I have a real hard time leaving a mess at work. But I have overcome my inner custodian and now expect the people who are being paid to get off their asses and do the job they are being paid for.
I think your custodians need to be canned and replaced if they’re not going to do what they’re contracted to do. End of story.
**Boo Boo Foo ** is quite correct - in Australia (at least in my fairly extensive experience) teachers wipe down/clean their own blackboards and whiteboards. We sort of see it as an extension of the tools required for the job, like sharpening your own pencils or whatnot and, yes, I certainly would just suck it up if I were in your position and get a student to be blackboard monitor or something.
Regardless, however, the facts are that:
a) You’re not in Australia and our system is completely irrelevant to the situation.
b) in your school the custodial staff were (even if they’re now not) expected to clean all boards as part of their contract. If they want to revise the terms of that contract they’d better be prepared to cut back their quote and save the school some money, or be replaced with someone who’ll completely meet the criteria of the position.
Teamwork is the most important part of maintaining a pleasant work environment - if there’s outright hostility between one group and another, something needs to be done about it. If the cleaners are victimising you because they’re angry, they need to be pulled up quick-smart and brought into line. That kind of attitude between co-workers isn’t acceptable. It’s fine not to like someone, but it’s not an excuse to act like an asshole*.
Your AP seems like a bit of a wuss when it comes to dealing with this sort of stuff. :dubious: My manager would have had this all sorted the first time a whiteboard got ruined, not after multiple stuff-ups… and she sure as heck wouldn’t put up with staff taking a hostile stance against each other.
So here’s where things get interesting. Most of the time, wiping the board off with water and paper towels will get the job done. The non-absorbant ones they usually have in schools, perhaps not so much. Also, if you wipe off mistakes with your fingers, the oil on your skin gets onto the board and the board won’t erase properly until you clean it with that special white board spritzy stuff. (Which stinks the whole room up, mind.)
But you don’t have one of those little bottles, for whatever reason, so you think, “maybe something non-corrosive like Windex.”
Great, so you spray Windex on the board.
Congratulations, you just de-conditioned the damned thing. It’s sparkly white, but if you write on it with a dry-erase marker, that writing is going to stay there. My son and his roommate had a dry-erase board in their apartment. After it was “cleaned” with Windex it never erased again. Sure, it’s not rocket science, but neither is it a good idea to just spray whatever household cleaner you happen to have on hand onto your fancy whiteboard.
sinjin
Fighting ignorance, so you don’t have to
So, all you have to do is to find out (or better yet, get someone else to find out) what the janitors were using to clean the boards. Maybe the product in question even has warnings on it about using on a white board. Then it’s pretty clear who fucked up. Then again, you might be in the fugeddaboudit mode and just want the issue to die.
BTW, thanks sinjin. That’s good info, there.
