A Child's Education Starts With a Clean Classroom
The first step to foster a good learning experience between teachers and students is a clean and orderly classroom. This is Martha Rodríguez’s job at Betty Plasencia Elementary School, located in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Rodriguez has been the school custodian for six years, ever since she started working for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), where she was once a student.
“I love my job. I want the children to have a clean and quiet classroom where they can learn,” says Rodríguez. “Even if I don't have as much contact with them, it's nice to know that my work contributes to their learning. It makes me proud to see that everything is clean.”
Rodriguez's job involves ensuring everything is ready for the next school day. She relies on mathematical concepts to perform many of her daily tasks, “from measuring how many ounces of cleaning solution I need to mop the floors or clean the desks, to filling out my timesheet. For example, I have to subtract minutes when I take a break and add them when I work overtime,” she explains. “I also have to keep track of my lunchtime and register it on the timesheet.”
Rodriguez not only uses math at work but also at home with her three daughters. “When I cook and measure the ingredients, or when we go to the supermarket to buy groceries, I ask my daughters to look at the labels and compare two products that are the same size but have different prices.”
Rodríguez says her eldest daughter struggled with math, unlike her two younger daughters. “She needed tutoring to help her get up to speed. Now it's different: sometimes, I use YouTube videos so my younger daughters understand the steps involved in their math problems. Nowadays, it is much easier to find ways to help them online.”
She believes that most parents who — like her — work almost the entire day have trouble finding the time and the best way to help their kids, especially now that math is taught “very differently.”
Born and raised in Boyle Heights, Rodriguez lives in Compton with her family. However, her Mexican roots are very close to her heart. She is proud of her culture and teaches her daughters to love its traditions.
“My mom immigrated at the age of 17. She was a single mother and worked a lot. She left her country, but not its traditions. I learned them from her, and I hope my daughters will learn them from me and carry them on,” she said.
“I am proud of my work because I see that teachers are committed to the students' learning, and they do their best. That's why I really like what I do: by keeping everything clean, I also do my best so that the kids can learn.”
