This week I asked myself, if I work in an environment that’s a threat to my health.
‘Well, obviously.’ Some of you may answer.
After all, schools are teeming with germs and we’re not just talking about washroom facilities here: it’s the desk surfaces, the unwashed jackets students wear every day, it’s the ties they wipe their nose in and the physical contact they have with one another and food..without washing their hands (eww).
I’m existing in a space, in which I interact with over 30 of these students, every 40 minutes. I think back to the days when we came out of quarantine and I used to spray Lysol after each class and use surface sanitizer on the desks. Yes, I take responsibility for becoming laxed, but I don’t think I’m the only one.
And that’s just the physical side of things.
A work space can also make you mentally ill, and seeing that we looked at that topic last week, I’m going to point out some of those hidden, but guilty-as-charged culprits to you.
So let’s jump right in.
Here are some things that can be affecting your physical wellness:
Dirty Classrooms: The janitorial staff do the best they can with the man power and tools that they have. But students will be students and conduct experiments we didn’t ask them to. Like how to grow mold on a sandwich left under the desk, or how to attract flies by spilling sticky sweet juice and leaving the puddle there to fester until the flies come. And you know, with flies, the battle of staying healthy can be quickly lost.
Extreme temperature: I can hardly blame my students for feeling listless and tired because as we say in Trinidad, ‘the sun is SUNNING’ “It’s really doing the most and not in a good way. Yes, we’re grateful for that big giant ball of energy, but when lunchtime hits, the students come trampling in sweaty (smelly) and physically spent from playing, it’s like their brains power down and honestly, so has mine.
Dust: I never thought I’d see the day when gravel is LITERALLY in the air. Did the Sahara desert migrate? If we’re getting so much of its dust over here, it must be that there’s a mass exodus in progress. That’s not dew covering the mountains, or clouds in the sky…that’s dust, dirt and grime.
Uncleaned vents and damp ceiling tiles: If you’re lucky enough to be teaching in a/c, don’t think you’ve escaped danger. How often are vents cleaned and are the water pipes you don’t see in prime condition? If they are leaking and soaking through the ceiling tiles, expect the mishap of them crashing down with wet, moldy residue.
Fridge fright: Oh you thought it was just the classroom? Try opening the fridge in the staff lounge. You just might find last year’s potluck rotisserie in there. Or that container with a chicken bone and a spoonful of rice that the owner has been swearing he/she is going to eat for the last three weeks. Curdled milk to pour into coffee? Check! Condiments meals long past…also check. But in spite of seeing all these things, we continue to put our freshly cooked meals on top of all this junk.
I could go on, but let’s turn to the hidden culprits that can be affecting your mental wellness.
Paper clutter: Now as much as tech has made my life easier, I still prefer to write things down. It also gives me a chance to spend money on all those pretty planners that keep coming out. But an educator’s desk is never a safe place to find anything. Don’t get me wrong, I can tell you which stack a document is in, just DON’T YOU DARE try going through it on your own. This is ‘my precious’ (said in Gollum’s obsessed voice).
The Time-Wasters: You sit down to finish your report on time, and your colleague attempts to engage you in what we call ‘smalls’..aka ‘small talk’. The time-wasters always have memes ready to show you, pictures on Insta to show off as they run through the story of their fabulous weekend. They’re also known to start with a question: “Did you see Shakira’s Met Gala outfit?” Blame it on your own lack of self-control, but it’s six of one, half a dozen of the other.
The Gossip Group: They’re always looking for volunteers, even when they see that you’re swamped, resembling a raccoon and chittering like a squirrel because of all of that coffee you’ve drunk. And their recruiting game is strong, don’t you doubt it! All it takes is those first few words, “Did you hear that (insert scenario here)?” And again, half the blame is on them, but the other’s on you. Don’t beat yourself up though, I mean, who doesn’t love a juicy tit-bit of information?
The never-ending to-do list: You just get back from the Form 3 class that gives you nightmares, and really, you just want to sit down for a moment, close your eyes and breathe deeply. But as you approach your desk, you see the fluorescent yellow threat to your moment of peace: a sticky note someone’s left, asking you to call back a parent or even worse, (brace for it), a supervision notice for a colleague who's absent. Why? Will the list of tasks a teacher has to do never end?
You feel frazzled and spent by the end of the day and you dread that you have to do it all again tomorrow. If this sounds familiar, then yup, your job might be making you ill.
So what do you do then? Quit? Run for the hills? Hide under a rock? Unlikely, there are bills to pay, mouths to feed and a mortgage that’s got you shackled for at least the next decade.
If you can find a better job, by all means, go out and do so. Send resumés, apply online…see the bigger picture. But in the meantime, here are some tips for coping with a job that might be making you ill:
Take COVID-like precautions⇒ I’m not telling you to suit up from head to toe, but try to continue some of the sanitization & social distancing practices that we adopted during COVID-19. Remember, the world is not out of danger and there’s always the threat of another disease spreading like wildfire.
Make it a procedure⇒ At the end of the school day, have students clear under their desks and throw all trash in the bin. You make it a procedure when you set aside time for this practice. Be sure to circulate and make sure it’s done properly.
If you see a spill, report it to the janitorial staff so that they can clean it up. Don’t just walk past it, jump over it or step to the side. And even better, if you see Tommy spill his juice, send him in search of a mop and bucket, and get him to clean up his own mess. A little responsibility never hurts anyone and it teaches children that no one is waiting hand and foot on them- at school anyways.
Advocate for proper ventilation ⇒ Does your classroom have two points of entry? Is there air flow in and out of the room,or is it stuffy with the windows facing a wall? Do what you have to, let parents in on the situation, report all health and safety hazards to administration as soon as possible. Don’t wait for the situation to get untenable. You’d be surprised at how many stakeholders are willing to purchase fans etc. for the comfort of you and your students.
Post & Talk about hygiene⇒ Play is essential to good brain development, so we don’t want to stop that. But there has to be some cleaning up of oneself after ‘the sweat.’ Perhaps a little wash rag and liquid soap? Wiping up the sweat with a towel? Have a conversation with your students and PLEASE, tell them that spraying deodorant on sweaty/ smelly skin DOES NOT constitute hygiene.
Consider wearing a mask/ stay equipped ⇒ The Sahara dust is not going to return from whence it came any time soon. So consider wearing a mask again ( I never thought I’d say that), especially if you suffer from allergic rhinitis. If asthmatic, always have your ventolin inhaler on you.
Shower/ Bathe as soon as you get home ⇒ Most of us do this already because we can actually feel the gravel on our skin. But in case you’re tempted to start turning that pot, or just stripping off your shirt and trousers and becoming one with the couch, remember you’re bringing the germs you accumulated at school, into your sacred home space. Leave the shoes at the door and before you even hug your children, bathe, bathe, shower, shower…
Learn to be considerate in the staff lounge ⇒ Your stew exploded and splattered in the microwave. Your bowl has been in the fridge for more than a week. Oh my goodness, don’t pretend that you don’t see it! Clean up after yourself! How can you ask students to do something that you yourself aren’t willing to do?
Sort paper regularly ⇒ Dust mites, bugs, those little silver creepy crawlies that come out of a pile of paper when you finally decide to sift through it? They can be making you sick as well. All of a sudden, when sorting, your eyes start to itch, your nose tickles…and soon, it’s a full blown sinus attack.
Also, note that psychologists state that a cluttered physical space is the sign of a cluttered mind. Maybe it’s time to sit back, sort through the thoughts in your mind, brain dump and chart a way forward.
Block your time and stick to it ⇒ Of course there will always be emergencies, but you should never be at the mercy of a Post-it. Establish office hours, block time for making phone calls etc, then…put the phone on silent and turn it face down. Plug in your ear buds and whether you’re listening to anything or not, get down to work or just close your eyes to shut out external distraction.
Make peace with the fact that your to-do list will never end ⇒ Being alive means having a to-do list. That’s just the way it is. Breathe, prioritize what matters most, and pay attention to approaching deadlines. But apart from that, just learn to enjoy ticking tasks off your list, one at a time.
Bat in your crease and stay near your wicket ⇒ I know I can be a time-waster (cat memes rule) & I do love me some gossip (a Lady Whistledown, maybe?). Still, I can see that it makes me very unproductive as a worker. So maybe it’s time I take my own advice and find a private space in which to work. I could go to the library and once again, plug in those ear buds. I tell you this from experience: sometimes the less you know about your co-workers’ lives and work shenanigans, the better. They can’t call your name or say ‘you said’. So my hard-learned lesson? Stay in your lane and find your quiet space.
I hope these suggestions help you to get out from under if you’re feeling a bit dragged down. During the course of the week, we’ll be sharing some more insight into the topic, but I want to leave you with some food for thought:
“The environment you work in, can impact the quality of the work you put out. A space can either make you or break you. Just remember, you always have a choice; what does that choice look like? Well, that’s up to you and no one else. Just don’t lose your health over your job. Nothing is worth the value of your wellbeing.