An initiative of Jasper County Schools
We’ve all seen the quote floating around social media that says some variation of, ”Treat the janitor with the same respect that you treat the CEO.” It’s difficult to pin down just exactly who said it, as there are several individuals credited with speaking the words, but it doesn’t really matter does it? It’s the meaning of the words that matters most – the sentiment behind them. The folks in the Jasper County School District don’t need a quotable meme to convey this sentiment’s importance to them.
An Unquestionably Important Stretch of Road
By Erica Loos
Joyce Houser has been working for the district, specifically at the high school, for the past 29 years. Joyce first began her work for the district as a substitute in 1994, working as a cook, secretary, and janitor during that time, and in 2000 she was hired full-time with the custodial staff. Custodians, bus drivers, maintenance, and groundskeepers are sometimes the roles that are easy to overlook when thinking about the hustleand-bustle of a school day, but these are some pretty important folks and without their daily contributions, school would be all but impossible to conduct.
The teachers and other faculty and staff wouldn’t be able to do their jobs with desks that are falling apart, dust bunnies roaming the floors, someone unable to get into their locker, and the general yuck that would accumulate without someone there to take care of it. Joyce is currently a member of a several person team, and they all work hard to make sure the building is in tiptop shape on a daily basis. Joyce works the day shift, while the others work nights. She explained that there are certain things that just about can’t be accomplished during school hours, such as cleaning the restrooms.
She said she loves interacting with the students, and shared that they will walk down the halls and greet her by name. “The kids out here are so nice. So nice. And they’ll do anything for you,” she said. And if she ever needs a few extra hands to help move some boxes or chairs, she said she can walk into a classroom and announce she needs a few helping hands and they’ll just jump right up to help. She attributes this positive and helpful attitude of the students to the way they were raised – your community is your family.
Neither Joyce nor her husband are Jasper County natives; Joyce grew up some 20 miles north of Jasper County, and her husband is from Chicago, but they made Jasper County their home. Their two children attended school in the district as do the two oldest of her four grandchildren, with the younger two not yet being school-aged. As any proud grandma would, Joyce gushed about her grandkids, and spoke specifically about how the two oldest really enjoy school. “It’s amazing,” she said, “They talk about their teachers and they just love it.” Joyce is proud of her children as well, of course, and is happy to share they both have found careers that they love and for which they have a knack.
One of her favorite things about the community is that, as she said, “It’s a big city in a small town.” Everything is connected, the businesses are great, there are lots of places to find great food, and the people are great. There’s something special about a place where everyone knows everyone, and folks are always willing to help each other through times of difficulty and in times of celebration. J
oyce officially retired as of June 2023, and said she’ll miss the job but that she’d miss the people most of all – other faculty and staff as well as the students. Regardless of a person’s age or life experience, transitions into new phases of life can be challenging. Just as students experience these challenging times as they move through school, folks entering retirement can find it a bitter-sweet time in their lives. She’s had such a great experience working in the district, and that’s what will make it bitter-sweet.
As she gears-up to start the next chapter of her life, Joyce said she has a list a mile long of little chores and tasks she’s had planned for a while. She even joked that she told her husband he’ll get tired of having her around all the time because of all the work she has planned for them to do. But she’s got plenty of fun planned, as well. She and her husband enjoy day trips visiting different antique stores, farmer’s markets, and ‘junk’ stores – always on the lookout for that one item they couldn’t bear to leave behind. And, of course, extra time to spend with the grandkids.
She said that she doesn’t feel like her contributions and hard work as a custodian in the district have gone unnoticed because there is so much support in the community. “I get ‘Thank yous”, pats on the back, and all that all the time,” she said. And people keep asking her what they’re going to do without her when she retires, but she’s confident that the rest of her team who will remain will take good care of everything.
Even as Joyce says goodbye to the life she’s shared with the students and fellow team members at Jasper County Schools, she will fondly remember the stories, the laughter, but most of all, the people with whom she shared this important stretch of road. And I have little doubt that this metaphorical stretch of road will fondly remember her as well.
The kids out here are so nice. And they’ll do anything for you.
