Lefty Caretaker

Caretaker with the TDSB. Sometimes amazed by the incredible compassion and dedication I see, sometimes facepalm so hard I see stars.

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

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

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

@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.

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

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

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

@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.

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

@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It's not even the boilers themselves - it's the rads and controls that are just as outdated.

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

@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.

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

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

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

@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.

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

@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. 🤣

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

@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.

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

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.

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

@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.

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

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

[The Local Magazine (Archived Account) @TheLocal_TO]

“If schools seem grubbier—if classrooms are dirtier, lunchroom tables stickier, snow isn’t cleared as quickly, and washrooms are messier—it’s because there aren’t enough people to do the job.” https://t.co/NkK6L71KW3

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

@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.

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

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

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

@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 🤣

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

@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.

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

@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.

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

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

[Lefty Caretaker @LeftyCaretaker]

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