Perfectly Teal

I’m currently working as a custodian for The Denver School of the Arts. I’ve been chronicling my experiences through social media and this blog post. I put a lot of my own complaints and frustrations down, primarily to accurately portray my true experiences. No filter. There are good days of course. One day, this could be sort of a memoir.

I refer to myself as The Teal Fairy because this is a character that I’ve created. I hope to one day write about The Teal Fairy going back to school to protect those that have the potential to grow and flourish. Schools need more fairies over firearms to ensure the safety of the youth. I also use The Teal Fairy persona as my way of expressing myself creatively outside of the written word.

Thank you for joining me on this journey!

Day Four Hundred & Seventy: 10/14/2024

I’m working a full week, but today wasn’t a full day. We didn’t have students, teachers, or faculty. It made for a quiet day for sure! Even though we had to spend the first two hours outside. I volunteered to sweep up leaves, so I’m not sure I would consider it landscape work. More, dirty manual labor. If I had known that we were going to work outside I wouldn’t have drawn on eyebrows today. Because when I sweat too much the moisture runs down my face and brings my makeup with it.

The work wasn’t difficult, but it definitely was exhausting. I woke up early today and by the time that I finished doing my dirty duty I needed a little break. So I found a quiet room to lay down flat. My favorite activity is being horizontal. I don’t necessarily sleep, but I shut my eyes and I let my mind wander within the depths of my consciousness.

I was initially going to have today off, but I wasn’t going to have enough vacation hours for later in the month. Thus, I had to delete today’s request. It was really hard to come to work too. I had a nice weekend and I wasn’t really ready for the fun to end. Today was a reprieve from bodies, but it should be a low key week too. There is PSAT testing and that always means clean classrooms. Fingers crossed it stays pleasant.

Day Four Hundred & Seventy-one: 10/15/2024

I’m so excited that I didn’t have to work at the elementary school today. Since that establishment still didn’t have students or staff I don’t need to cover anyone. So, that school can be closed down early. Surprisingly, I was so thrilled when I was told that I didn’t have to go over there. I’d rather work a full regular day at DSA any day than working at another institution.

It was a pretty low key day. However, we continue to have theater kids rehearsing late into the night. They’re mostly in the theater, but they use my bathroom regularly. So, even though I finished some of my work early I had to wait until they left before I could complete my tasks.

We have testing the next two days so I decided that instead of sitting in front of my computer I would take the extra time to ensure that all of my rooms were thoroughly vacuumed. I didn’t want them to look shabby for the students that would be proctored for their PSATs. It’s the least that I could do.

The next two days will be easy peasy so I wanted to make sure that everything was completed today so I wouldn’t have to fuss over anything tomorrow. I really do enjoy testing days because the rooms stay so clean and there is hardly any trash. The students are too enthralled in their standardized exams to bother with making a mess.

Day Four Hundred & Seventy-two: 10/16/2024

Oh, testing days are so great! Maybe not for those that have to proctor the tests or the students actually taking the tests. However, it’s ideal for the custodial staff. There is minimal trash, hardly any vacuuming needed, and the bathrooms weren’t destroyed today. I probably should do some extra detail work today but I already did that last week. I’m going to use my time the way I want to. Except, there’s more down time than I presumed.

I wonder if I would be bored if the school looked the way it does right now? If the space wasn’t utterly destroyed everyday would there be a need for all of us? They would need at least a few custodians, but I doubt they would need all four of us if the building was in the state that it is today.

It does make me wonder why they had a fall break Thursday through Monday when they were going to have testing Tuesday and Wednesday. The planning doesn’t make sense to me. Though most of the calendar and planning schedules don't make sense to me. There must be nuances that I’m not aware of. Another reason why I have no interest in working in administration. Though, I’m considering a career in education. Higher education, specifically being an adjunct professor for a junior college.

Day Four Hundred & Seventy-three: 10/17/2024

Another great day of testing! I’ll have to do some extra work today because there shouldn’t be any dust in my area since we have the downtime to clean properly. I’m not necessarily wanting to do any extra work since we already did some last week. Can’t we just be lazy? I really shouldn’t complain because it is going to be a pleasant day. However, I found out that I have to work at the elementary school tomorrow. Boo!

I really didn’t work that hard today. I did the absolute bare minimum. I also completed a specific task that was pointed out to me. Some ledges by my stairs were very dusty, so before I power washed my bathrooms I took 15 minutes to clean them. Done, mission accomplished. Now I’m ready to call it a day.

Day Four Hundred & Seventy-four: 10/18/2024

I can’t believe that this month is almost over. Yes, we still have 13 more days, but it feels like it is going by so fast. I love October and today actually feels like fall. It is cloudy and I actually had to wear a jacket to work today. I’ve been wearing some sort of coverup when I bike home, but that’s because it’s 10:30 when I get off. Today, it was only 56 degrees. Perfection!

It would have been perfect too, but I’m working at the elementary school tonight. I’m covering for that coworker. I got to bypass Tuesday, so I thought I was going to go a week without having to deal with the annoyances at the elementary school. Not so lucky! At least the students get out early so I can finish my tasks early and close up the building early. I might head over to DSA to see if my coworkers there need any help. They are going to be hosting a fall dance so they might need additional assistance at the end of the night.

Well, I completed all of my duties quickly and instead of waiting around at the elementary school I biked to DSA in the rain. All in the belief that they could use my assistance. Not so much. Oh well. At least it’s Friday and I’ll be heading home soon. Waiting around for an hour and a half isn’t too bad I suppose.