The list goes on and on. The things I do for my job that are not related to teaching, that is. (Discontinue reading if you have a weak stomach). Yesterday I cleaned up one of my students' puke in his cereal bowl. Poor guy had been sick all day, but without actual symptoms (such as throwing up what little lunch he managed to eat) we couldn't send him home, though we did call dad to let him know. Every day, I'm cleaning--I clean more at school than I ever have at home. My parents would be amazed. This job is also how I became an artist. Some of the stuff I draw--freehand, by the way--is pretty cool. I'm impressed with myself. I clean things, all the time. I'm an acting mechanic for Things That Don't Work, or Things That Accidentally Fell Apart But I Have No Idea Why, despite the fact that what I went to school for--psychology--has nothing to do with the mechanics of things other than the brain. Also, did I mention that I clean?
Speaking of cleaning, I now bring you to the point of this post. In our classroom, the kids have their own sink which they use to wash hands after bathroom, recess, before snack and lunch, etc. Their towels are extra biodegradable because we can't recycle them for sanitary reasons. So, if we're going to fill up landfills, it might as well be with cheap, easily-mushed up towels.
Do you get where I'm going with this? Easily-mushed up towels is key here.
Their sink has been clogging quite a bit the past few weeks, which I'd noticed before. Not really my job to clean it, so I figured we'd let someone higher up know and it'd get taken care of. Not so. Instead, I found myself hunting down a screw driver when one of my students told me that there were paper towels in the drain. Which, of course, were stuck underneath. Which brings us to the screwdriver.
Which brings us to the most disgusting sight I've ever seen.
Seriously, I almost threw up like my poor flu-victim. It was nasty! I wish I'd taken a picture, just so I could prove how gross this drain was. It was COMPLETELY plugged up with dissolved paper towels, mold, slime, sludge, or whatever you want to call it. No matter what it was, it was disgusting. And I spent half an hour cleaning it out, making our drain good-as-knew. Sort of. It still needs some work, but that requires a real plumber. Someone who actually has experience with that kind of thing. For now, it makes a good story. I'm considering cleaning out someone else's drain just so I can add a photo to this post. If I can brave the grossness.
Thank goodness for gloves.
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