A day in the life of a janitor: a sweeping tale of Mike Miller
Head engineer, Mike Miller cleans the cafeteria while overseeing school activities. “There is satisfaction in making sure the school is clean. I have two kids in the school district, so it’s satisfying to know they are in a clean, safe environment,” said Miller.
December 9, 2013
“There is satisfaction in making sure the school is clean. I have two kids in the school district, so it’s satisfying to know they are in a clean, safe environment.
Take a sweep with a custodian’s broom. Daily custodial life is more than simply collecting trash, mopping and fixing things. Day-to-day, head engineer, Mike Miller, works hard keeping the school clean, well functioning and problem-free.
Custodians must have a large collection of abilities that enables them to fix and clean almost anything. The endless cleaning, observing, fixing and even enforcing are all part of a custodian’s job. Although the job may seem easy, it is far from it. Custodians are what keep schools clean, up-to-date and ready for hundreds, thousands of students every day. Miller manages the custodial staff, and makes sure everything is functioning properly.
“We are here almost 24/7, day and night. There are three shifts to a day. There is always someone here. There are a vast array of things I have to take care of constantly. People are always coming to me throughout the day with things to fix. If I start a project, without fail, someone will interrupt me with a problem they need me to fix,” Miller said.
Custodians need to know electricity, plumbing and how to use a vast array of tools and equipment. Janitors, such as Miller, have a lot of stories to tell.
“I got two years of college in me. I mainly work in the boiler room. It’s where the school’s heating, cooling and water units are. I have to make sure they are all working correctly,” Miller said.
Miller is proud of the work he does. He is primarily in charge of the boiler room at the high school. The boiler room is the heart of the school. Hot and cold water comes and goes. Electricity, heating and air conditioning units are all located in the boiler room.
“There is satisfaction in making sure the school is clean. I have two kids in the school district, so it’s satisfying to know they are in a clean, safe environment. All of the guys here have family, they like to work the third shift at night so they can be home in the morning and be with their kids, sleep when their kids are at school, and then be there when their kids get home,” Miller added.
At the end of the day, custodians are just doing their job. Fixing what needs to be fixed, cleaning and keeping buildings running. Miller has a lot of experience in his field. Custodians provide a safe, clean and sanitary facility for the inhabitants, whether said building may be a school, corporate headquarters, or retail facility.
Orjana Stepien • Jan 13, 2014 at 4:31 am
I thought this article was really well written! Once I saw the title I clicked to read it right away. It’s informative and the language you used was great! While reading this article it all flowed together and you kept it very interesting. The quotes you used from the custodian were good and if there was anything to add I would possibly add in quotes from others like co-workers or students! But overall I really enjoyed this article and you did a great job on it!
Cora Sutherland • Jan 13, 2014 at 4:04 am
The quotes from Miller did a great job setting up the tone and mood of the article. The boiler room and custodial duties details and descriptions strengthened the story. However, it would have been even more beneficial to add the perspective of another custodian in addition to miller. Overall, very nice.
Kate Price • Jan 13, 2014 at 2:57 am
Really strong headline. The topic of the article seems like it would be difficult to write such a compelling article about, but you pull it off. The style of writing and tone of the story really bring a lot to it. Well done.
Brooke Thingvold • Jan 13, 2014 at 2:31 am
The title was great! It was written well, however some of the transitions weren’t as smooth as they could have been, but still a good story.
Sam Jakupciak • Jan 12, 2014 at 8:53 pm
Dat title. The intro was good (though it lacked a closing quotation mark) but I don’t think the same quote should have been used again later in the article. Miller’s commentary was actually pretty interesting though it would have been nice to read a little bit from one of his co-workers as well.
Sydney Spreck • Jan 12, 2014 at 4:52 pm
This was a very good article. I loved how you started off with a strong quote that immediately interested the reader in the article. I have always been curious about the janitor’s at our school and this article covered their story well by focusing on Janitor Miller and his job. Well done!
Fiona Montie • Jan 11, 2014 at 12:06 am
I really enjoyed reading this article. It flows well with the incorporation of insightful anecdotes and solid information about a janitor’s life. You provided information about janitors that most students probably weren’t aware of, and presented it in a pleasing, artistic manner. Nice job!
Kenzie Monson • Jan 4, 2014 at 4:08 am
This was a great article! Some students don’t understand what janitors really do, so this was really informative. The quotes were very strong, and it was overall really good! Nice job!
Ahnika Kroll • Jan 2, 2014 at 5:50 pm
The headline (a clever pun) did an amazing job of attracting me as a reader. The photo is dramatic and I really enjoy the quote that’s starts the article, I think more articles should be started like that, it makes them more personal. While I was reading the article it was easy to picture myself in the janitors place. You did a good job of describing his normal day to day life and I really liked the compassion that was showed in the quote where he talks about his children and how cleaning the school makes a safe environment. Great article and interpretation, Quentin!
Madeline Ek • Jan 1, 2014 at 6:00 pm
As soon as I read the title I was drawn in. I like the way how you switched things up and started the article with a quote. Also the descriptive language you used made it seem very professional. The only thing I could suggest would be getting quotes from other people so you could have different perspectives.
Katie Beedle • Jan 1, 2014 at 4:25 pm
I really liked this article! I found it very informative and well written. One thing I think you could improve on if possibly interviewing one more person just to get another perspective in your article.
Cassandra Carter • Dec 31, 2013 at 9:15 pm
First off, high five for the title! The quotes that you got from Mr. Miller are very informative and added a lot to your story. The first two links were unhelpful but the last one was one of the best I have yet to encounter.
Katie Wilmes • Dec 31, 2013 at 12:15 am
Quentin, I think your article is very well written and paints a nice picture of Miller from both a personal and work standpoint. I especially liked the quote lead because it really set up the whole rest of the story very nicely. The only thing I would change is that the first particular quote is used twice in the article, but overall really good work!