Taking a moment to acknowledge behind the scenes school staff members of SMIC-I

In SMIC-I, students interact the most with other students and teachers. Teachers are the ones that help them learn and be more successful academically, which is why they are valued more compared to other staff members who often go unnoticed by the students in the school. The other half of the staff, however, also make important contributions to students’ lives in the school campus.

Students can always see a-yis moving between classrooms, through hallways and in bathrooms. The a-yis are everywhere, but they are barely being recognized. Everyday, the a-yis have a lot of work to finish. They start their day by cleaning up the toilets; then, they are each responsible for cleaning more than fifteen classrooms by the end of each day. An a-yi once stated,“The work we do is always tiring. We need to work from the early morning to 5 pm in the afternoon, cleaning classroom after classrooms, but I enjoyed my job throughout the twelves years I have been working here. I like watching the students coming in and out of the school campus, and I like to provide the them with a hygeinic environment to study in.”

Besides the a-yis, there are also security staff around school campus. Every morning before seven am, the security guards would stand in the middle of the road to direct the car flow. Right after the students enter the school campus, they patrol around the campus every two hours until the students leave the school in afternoon. During school time, some security guards also watch the surveillance video, ensuring that everything happening in the school campus is normal and safe. Throughout the day, the security guards also meet any guests coming to the school and guide them to their destinations. The security guards keep the express packages as well. At the end of the school day, the security guards would watch out for the school buses and make sure they wouldn’t hurt the students. One of the security guard expressed,“I have been working here for eight years. I like the students, and I want to make sure that they can study in a safety environment.”

Despite the fact that not a lot of people know the names of a-yis and the security guards in the school campus and their accomplishments are rarely rewarded and recognized, these workers are always dedicated to their job, creating a healthier school campus environment for both students and teachers.

Featured Image – School entrance Photo Courtesy of Justina Kim

by Jaclyn Li