Some years ago, the term “janitor” was quietly upgraded to “custodian.” Being the type who gets a huge kick out of words-and-where-they-come-from, I looked first at the word “janitor.” Fascinating! The first definition uses “custodian” as a synonym, while the second digs a bit deeper into the etymology. Apparently, this word first came to us through Greek mythology: the god Janus had many duties, one of which was to watch over doorways and gates. This in turn led to the Latin term for “gatekeeper,” (ianitor) and thus St. Peter was at one time known, delightfully enough, as the “janitor of Heaven.” Who knew that the word would have classical roots and would be (approximately) a second cousin of “January”? Of course, the meaning has drifted, as meanings do, and the mental image that pops up now is one of dear old St. Pete running around behind the Pearly Gates with a broom and dustpan.
So, “Janitor” is a noble word and a noble calling, so why the need for the change? I know that many words start out descriptive and end up being used pejoratively, and while there are many, many words that are much worse offenders than this one, I can still see how it might have drifted slowly towards the realm of insult. High school students may or may not have helped with this process. Anyway, let’s take a gander at “custodian.”
My first search of the word “custodian” brought me to a Spanish-English translation. The Spanish word “custodian” translates to “guard,” and since Spanish is one of the less-onerous descendants of Latin, that means that a janitor and a custodian are one and the same—those who protect and guard. The Cambridge dictionary focuses on the idea that a custodian is a person who is charged with caring for someone or something. Thus, whatever you want to call this person, he/she guards, protects, cares for, and keeps things safe. Not something to be sneezed at.
This little dance through the history of some common-place words has led me (finally) to my point: I should feel good about cleaning my house! Lately I’ve decided to become a little more systematic about cleaning, and even though the paint on the steps is chipped and stained (and I can’t think how to repaint with this durn kitten running around), the sweeping and the mopping still manage to produce a pleasing effect. I can see it plain as daybreak: I am standing shoulder to shoulder with Janus the Gatekeeper, with all the Pantheon of Olympus behind me; I am armed with a mop, and I am firmly intent on keeping things nice.
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For your further edification:
Janitor – definition of janitor by The Free Dictionary
CUSTODIAN | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary
So my first teaching position was in the inner city. The janitor swept snow off of all of the teachers’ cars before we headed home. He also took and delivered our lunch orders from various local eateries. After work he went home to take care of his invalid wife. I had such respect for him.
Later in my career, I observed schools in Japan where the kids did all of the cleaning. They were loud, joyful and industrious while performing these tasks every single day. I wondered then if our American students would take better care of our facilities if they were doing the cleaning.
Now I am in the final years of my career working as an aide in Head Start. We do all of our own cleaning, and now sanitizing and sterilizing also. This has added extra time to these tasks. Most afternoons I experience mixed feelings while doing this, needing to
use prep time to prepare for the next day.
Thanks for promoting this journey down memory lane. Clean on!
My pleasure, Ann! Nice to hear from you. You raise an interesting point about students cleaning their schools; being the one in charge can certainly improve awareness of what needs to be done.
I too love words AND loved and married a Janitor/Custodian/Building Maintenance man. It is an honorable profession which many people look down upon but would not want to have to do themselves. Thank you for this blog that can help people feel better about the people who take care of them. 😉 AND I learned something new today!! The day has not been wasted. 😉
Thank you, Jacklyn! Unless there are two by your name, then we know each other from Thorne Bay School. Glad to hear from you, and glad you enjoyed my post. Hug a janitor today!
I always try to get to know the housekeepers/custodians/janitors who spend so much time cleaning up after us. In the university where I work I find it a little sad that most of the “important” people here treat them like they don’t even exist.
Of course you do, because you know who is actually “important!”