Our Consierge or Janitor

In basement, roof or cellar
he's the congenial fella.
Pushing broom, "You need a Room?"
"Want me? Just you holler."

2005

1. The people who toil at dirty and very necessary jobs in our society get little pay and sometimes little respect. This is not always the case. Some janitors are very trusted and given gifts and extra money especially at Christmas. Many in Ottawa, Canada, receive an apt. in exchange for washing the hall floors, but no salary. As a result some of the janitors sell drugs to supplement their income. The supplier is often the landlord! I once lived in such a building and drug-related trouble was common with buyers coming and going at all hours. Hard to ignore.

2. Analyze this short poem like the others and quiz the older children about their attitudes to labour and cleaners in general. Introduce the word values.

I sent out students at Honam University, S. Korea, on an assignment to interview building cleaners and type up their conversations.It gave them a fresh perspective. Some said they had never spoken to a cleaner in their life. If you try this make sure you coach the students on how to write dialogue and provide them with a written model. Some people use quotation marks around speach but others do not, but rather the style of a written play or drama. Compare.

Copyright Robin Day 2006