Lefty Caretaker

@VPwithBMD @tdsb @TDSB_AccessAb I wish I could remember what school, but they called it the "Stroll & Roll"... Thought that was clever.

Inclusion isn’t just ramps and elevators. It’s language too. We can’t tell students and staff in wheelchairs they belong, then name our school fundraisers “Run” or “Walk”. @tdsb @TDSB_AccessAb Let’s make it “Run, Walk & Roll” and include everyone. 👟 ♿️ #wordsmatter #inclusion #equity

@divergentTea TDSB provided a T1198, but no communication came out about it as far as I know. It just appeared where we get our pay slips and tax forms.

Hey #onted did any boards pay roll provide a letter or fill out the lump sum payment form?

@MayhemMoonlight Ever wonder if we're second class employees? Now they've told us.

So the TDSB (rightly) closed schools for students and teachers, for their safety, due to the amount of snow. BUT (us) caretakers still have to report to work! 🤔 #TDSB #Cupe4400 #doublestan

@MsCheungTDSB One of the schools in my area does staff pickleball. I love the idea of taking time to look after the staff's well being.

Staff lane swim at lunch to build that cardio. 🏊‍♀️

@ItsElizabethSo Heating is a constant battle. I'm currently in a school with a heating system that's over 60 years old. Trying to keep everyone warm is as much an art as a science. It's not even the boilers themselves - it's the rads and controls that are just as outdated.

@divergentTea @fordnation @JillDunlop1 We're slowly replacing them... When it snows, we have to have contractors shovel the snow off of the roof to take pressure off of the roofing panels. I have held chunks of that roof in my hands, after it's fallen to the floor.

This needs to be in a public list that parents can access and starting holding @fordnation and @JillDunlop1 accountable. We had a school gym collapse in the last day of school for staff last year (no students were present) - parents were unaware of how bad the roof was. #onted

@hilarygclark In the TDSB, you can look up your local school on the website and see the latest water testing results.

Ontario parents: you might want to check if your child’s school has lead (a neurotoxin) in the drinking water. Yikes. #onpoli #tdsb youtu.be/iLmh4id_wiQ

@Odeirdie_Oh @tdsb Give the school a call - chances are they don't know. They'll get a tech out there to fix it up.

@tdsb I live near Rita Cox School. Why are school bells ringing at midnight? Make it stop!

@be_correct @MsKrispanis @JonFraserTF @jennyleeshee @HeartPatient105 @JillDunlop1 @fordnation Brand new parking lot built last year, we had to have the construction company come back and fix it. First rain, it was a lake... They left the drain 2 inches above level. 🤣

@LeftyCaretaker @MsKrispanis @JonFraserTF @jennyleeshee @HeartPatient105 @JillDunlop1 @fordnation What’s more rare is the drain is the lowest part of the room. In my experience with government funded buildings the drain is the high point 😂

@MsKrispanis @JonFraserTF @jennyleeshee @HeartPatient105 @JillDunlop1 @fordnation They're not common at all... It would indicate that the room was purpose built as something other than a standard classroom. At a guess, judging by some clues in the class photo and the rooms location in the building, I would say it was a mechanical/fan room in years past.

@JonFraserTF @jennyleeshee @HeartPatient105 @JillDunlop1 @fordnation Hi @LeftyCaretaker. Hope you are doing well. Wondering how common drains are in the middle of classrooms?

Back to work on Monday. I'm unreasonably happy about it, too. After a long 4+ months, life is slowly returning to normal. The board is a crazy place to work, but I'm lucky to have good folks around me that'll let me ease my way back in.

@mcgregis Stairs are often an afterthought. I had a school with 4 different 3 story staircases... I "swept" with my mop, because I didn't have time to do both. My mop bucket looked like a garbage can by the time I was done.

@LeftyCaretaker Our stairs got "swept" by pushing the dirt to one side of each tread.

The job can be overwhelming. It's not a good feeling knowing there's 20 things you should be doing today, and also knowing you're going to get to 5 of them. The school in the example here has less than 200 students. I've been the only caretaker in a school of 900. #tdsb

@jhlm2004 The 2 systems are independent in all of the schools I've been to, although I have seen an old tank that was heated by the steam boilers. It had been long decommissioned. Generally, the schools have the same kind of water heaters a home does.

@LeftyCaretaker I have a question...when boilers aren't running does that mean there is no hot water in the building?

It's a beautiful day outside, but I'm already thinking about the winter. By law, all heating systems have to be operational by October 15th - that's just over a month away. There's a small group of schools that this poses an extra challenge for... Our #tdsb steam plants. /1

@chish38_CA They can't bid in.... They're placed, like unassigned caretakers. And if she's in an area with multiple plants, they'll never let her go 🤣

@LeftyCaretaker Sheesh. I know one down here and she lives up there I let her know to bid in.

@chish38_CA No kidding! I'm trying to rehab my thinking box, too. We lost the unassigned engineer in the area to a hospital, and the area next door lost theirs too. It's going to be an interesting winter.

@LeftyCaretaker Stop thinking lol. The school I was at is on that list. Slated for 2026 change over. It's half a school because of add-on but still the kids will have to go to another location. There's that cost too.

@janiceferguson And we appreciate it! Having a caring and engaged caretaker, like the one in the article, makes a huge difference in the school community.

@LeftyCaretaker Utmost respect for the Caretakers…parents pay attn!!! When my kiddo was in grade school ,..I’d do small teacher presents for Xmas & last day..and always for the caretakers too!! 🫶

Just thought I would point out that the chronic understaffing and underspending has effects that aren't necessarily obvious right away. And heating season is right around the corner. /end

Do I have an easy solution? No. It's either the ministry spends the money for capital construction, or the board spends the money to attract OEs. Neither has the appetite to do so. /7