They’re the ones who clean up the mess you leave on the ground and on the cafeteria tables. They’re the ones that help keep everything you touch sanitary. They’re the ones we call custodians and they deserve all the love in the world for what they do. Custodians spend all their days — even weekends– from around 5:40 am to 3:30 pm, sometimes staying until late at night to clean the crumbs of food and trash left on the ground.

But you’ll never hear custodians complain about what they do. They call their job a “blessing” because although they have to clean up others’ mess, they are more than appreciative that they even have a job to feed themselves and their families.

But they are more of a blessing to us as students. Just imagine what a day without the hard work they put into cleaning the school would look like.

Can you imagine it? Yes, a disaster. Jose is a head custodian for the Tomball High school, but the title “means nothing” to him.

“I see myself equal to every amazing custodian in this school,” Jose said. “We are a family, and no title makes us different.”

Custodians do not always receive a thank you, or respect from every kid that walks around a school, but they believe that most children appreciate what they do, even if they don’t say it.

“The best part of my job is reading all the sweet cards kids leave for us,” Maria said. “It leaves tears in my eyes reading how much kids appreciate what we do and find the time to write or draw a card.“

Custodians keep the sweet cards left for them every time because it repairs their rough days. The work can be physically demanding, and sometimes unpleasant they gather and empty trash sweep, mop, clean restrooms and stock them with supplies, and even lock doors to secure the school building at night.

This job keeps the creepy crawly germs and animals from infecting kids who attend school and sanitizes that one spot on the floor that the kid with the upset stomach left on the carpet in class. This job is essential to every person’s daily life although many people might not notice. A genuine appreciation such as a simple “thank you” without needing all to know the act of kindness you do should be not a forced doing but a custom.

As a student it is far too easy to take advantage of the hard work the staff does for us. Appreciating the unnoticed is one of the most beautiful acts of kindness that can be done and shine through everyone. Simply seeing the smiles on the faces of custodians when they get a thank you or a student sits with them to talk about all the things they appreciate from what they do is worth it.