[sis]

My day continued blessing me. The school I work for has really committed, hardworking, poorly paid housekeeping staff. We have two housekeepers in Grade One which is comprised of 275 children and at least 25 adults. The students are from wealthy homes and generally do not have to do any type of cleaning up or tidying.

I like a clean work space and appreciate all that the housekeeping staff does towards supporting my efforts at keeping the room clean. I believe, educate and promote the concept that the housekeeper is an important member of the team as she provides a physical environment conducive to learning.

Today, the housekeeper came in during class time to empty the trash cans. I immediately switched from the lesson to talk about the importance of keeping the room clean so we could support the important work done by our housekeepers. We talked about ways we could help out by picking up every little speck of paper, wiping down the tables, etc. The students also talked about how much they liked working in a clean space because then they can find all the things they need for projects, etc. I encouraged the children to share a compliment with the housekeeper. Several students expressed their thanks but one student in particular said that when something is messy he really had a difficult concentrating. He really likes coming into our classroom because everything was always where it belonged and he felt comfortable.

I had a small gift of tea, biscuits and a pashmina scarf for the housekeeper (my 'planned' gift of compassion) which I had a child give to the housekeeper. The children clapped, the housekeeper beamed, my teaching partner and myself grinned at each other over the teachable moment. The housekeeper said to my teaching partner later in the day that she didn't think she would be able to sleep tonight because she has never been recognized for the job she does. And, she had never thought about my concept of her being part of the team that is providing an environment conducive to learning. She said she felt proud that her work actually does make a difference in the environment of learning children.

Yup, my day continues to bless me.

Deb