The cleaning lady gestapo
The last weekend of january is always an exiting time in the Dutch high school business. It's the time where every school opens it's doors to elementary school children to let them take a peek at what they have to offer. Of course it's all a big hoax, but we can't tell them. Us lucky few that have been selected to give the big tour have to stand there and look smart, and, whatever we do, don't open our mouth about whatever might be wrong with our school. That's right, I have been drafted by the chemistry department to oversee a demonstration in distillation. It's the perfect thing for an open door day: It looks pretty, hardly costs an effort, and the fact that it's filled with alcohol makes it really cool to all the eleven year old kids that are considering joining this educational establishment.
Of course a school has to look pretty on one these open door days. So suddenly the sidewalks get repaved, the doors get a fresh coat of paint and the curtains get a wash. But that's not enough this year. Apparantly littering is a problem. And of course littering might cost the school a few potential clients... I mean students of course. So now the cleaning department has been given permission to take whatever steps necessary to keep the school clean. It started with hiring several broad, hairy eastern-European ex-olympic athletes that could probably teach a bear a few things about the proverbial bearhug. When they patrol the halls, they'll make sure you notice the fact that each of their cleaning tools can also be a lethal weapon. Any litterers caught will be shouted at and sprayed in Polish before being dragged off to the head-honcho of the department who will gladly deal out an 'educational punishment', like mopping the floors on your hands and knees or cleaning out chemistry glasswork.
Now this wouldn't be so bad, if it wasn't for the fact that this regime has been installed just two weeks prior to open door day. The whole obviousness of it has led to the rise of a guerillia movement consisting mostly of first and second year students that has made littering into an art. Candy wrappers are being stuck to floors and walls with a strategicly placed wad of gum. Highly artistic trails of mud and half-molten snow mysteriously appear on the freshly-laid carpet. The local writing-equipment shop is making outrageous profits on waterproof black markers. The authorities are slowly being driven insane, and all I have to say for them is Viva La Revoluçion!
Oh and Squeaky, good luck with that test :)
Of course a school has to look pretty on one these open door days. So suddenly the sidewalks get repaved, the doors get a fresh coat of paint and the curtains get a wash. But that's not enough this year. Apparantly littering is a problem. And of course littering might cost the school a few potential clients... I mean students of course. So now the cleaning department has been given permission to take whatever steps necessary to keep the school clean. It started with hiring several broad, hairy eastern-European ex-olympic athletes that could probably teach a bear a few things about the proverbial bearhug. When they patrol the halls, they'll make sure you notice the fact that each of their cleaning tools can also be a lethal weapon. Any litterers caught will be shouted at and sprayed in Polish before being dragged off to the head-honcho of the department who will gladly deal out an 'educational punishment', like mopping the floors on your hands and knees or cleaning out chemistry glasswork.
Now this wouldn't be so bad, if it wasn't for the fact that this regime has been installed just two weeks prior to open door day. The whole obviousness of it has led to the rise of a guerillia movement consisting mostly of first and second year students that has made littering into an art. Candy wrappers are being stuck to floors and walls with a strategicly placed wad of gum. Highly artistic trails of mud and half-molten snow mysteriously appear on the freshly-laid carpet. The local writing-equipment shop is making outrageous profits on waterproof black markers. The authorities are slowly being driven insane, and all I have to say for them is Viva La Revoluçion!
Oh and Squeaky, good luck with that test :)