2 Most Important People in the School Building

A lot of you might think the principal is one of them but it isn’t (but you need to get hired first)! I learned this very early in my career and it has helped more than you could ever imagine. The 2 most important people in the school building are the head janitor and the principal’s secretary. Both of them can either make your life great or miserable!

I always learned the janitor’s names and promised them that if I ever had a problem, I would come to them first before going over their head. Since our school was so big, the person who cleaned my room and me always got to be friendly. Little treats for this person go a long way. Then they would take extra care of my room and I would brag about this person to the head janitor. Believe me, this person appreciated the compliments better than the complaining. He always heard when his staff didn’t do right so he was glad to hear the good stuff. By doing this, whenever something was broke or wrong in my room, they came running! Usually it was taken care of immediately. I have seen many teachers look down upon some of our janitorial staff as if they were so much better than them. I also have seen teachers reminded that this was not true when the air condition didn’t work and no one was in a hurry to fix their problem. Always take care of the head janitor and their staff!

Also stay on the principal’s secretary’s good side! This person has watched my back and helped me when things got rough. Whenever I needed supplies or money or forms, this was the person who helped me take the short route instead of the long one. I always took time to let this person know how much I valued her friendship and tried to help her any way that I could (put things in mailboxes, take a message to someone, watch the office while she ran to the restroom etc.)

I hate to state a cliché but “You get more flies with honey than you do vinegar!”