The engine that drives schools: from the cook to the cleaner

PalmWhen everyone enters the school, they ensure everyone arrives safely. When lunchtime arrives, they prepare and serve meals. And when everyone leaves, they make sure the classrooms sparkle. They are the cook, the custodian, the cleaners, and those who manage the school cafeterias. They all improve the lives of teachers and students, and without their presence, schools couldn't function at their best.

Luis Paris

Cafeteria Coordinator and Cook at the CEIP de Prácticas (Palma)

Lluís París's career has been linked to the CEIP de Prácticas since its earliest years. He was a student, brought his daughters there, and for 20 years, he's become the cook and coordinator of the cafeteria, which his family has run for four decades. "I feel, and we feel, an important part of the school. There's a brotherhood and we're a family. The management team has always supported all the initiatives we propose," he explains. Between him and his mother, they feed more than 220 students every day, as well as some teachers who are enchanted by the taste of the dishes prepared by hand in the school's kitchens.

París understands that the cafeteria is an educational space on the same level as the rest of the activities carried out at the school. "I'm in charge of transmitting this to the supervisors, who aren't supervisors, but rather cafeteria masters," he explains. "We have a lot of responsibility, not only because of the diversity of children we serve, but because some have educational needs, allergies... And we give them the best care we can," she adds.

The work done in the kitchen has changed a lot over the years, due to the multitude of regulations that have been approved to ensure health and safety. "We monitor the temperature at which the food leaves the kitchen or freezer and the temperature at which it is maintained at all times until it is cooked," he explains. "To give you an idea, we disinfect the oranges with water and bleach, something that no one does at home," he says with a laugh.

Despite the difficulties, he is happy with his job, with the contact with the children, and with being able to be useful, both when cooking the dishes and afterward, when serving them and caring for the students. "At 2 p.m. they get out of class, we take attendance, and everything starts rolling. Things happen every day: a child gets sick, another with educational needs is upset... and everyone must receive appropriate and respectful attention," he assures. And he sums it up: "I'm a wild card for any job where I'm needed, because I'm experienced and the monitors are younger, and sometimes there are new situations that come up for them," he explains.

The foundation he and his team work with is "love and positive reinforcement." "With three-year-olds, for example, we reward the effort they put into trying the food, not the effort they put into finishing it," he says. The information is then shared with families so they can monitor their progress. "Some people sell and ask us how to prepare certain dishes they eat at school, but not at home. There's a healthy and constant interaction with the community," he explains.

Margarita Estévez

Caretaker at the Ses Rotes Velles Primary School (Calvià)

The school's custodian's office is one of the most central points. Everyone passes by it, and many people go there when they have a technical or maintenance problem. Margarita Estévez has been the custodian of the Ses Rotes Velles Primary School for 35 years, where everyone knows and loves her. "I feel very valued and very useful. People trust me, and I also take care of the children, not because it's my responsibility, but because it's my nature," she says.

She is the first person to arrive at the school, turning on the hallway lights, ventilating the classrooms, restocking the toilet paper, soap, and everything else she deems necessary so that when teachers and students arrive, they find a welcoming environment. She keeps the space clean and ready for everything to run smoothly. "I manage everything that comes in and out, and if there's any maintenance issue, I'm the one who has to notify them, I'm the one who receives the suppliers, and I'm the one who acts as a liaison between the management team and the staff who work at the school," she says, laughing. She asserts that without a custodian, the school wouldn't be able to function. "If I'm absent and no one comes to replace me, they miss me. Because anything happens, and I'm the one who has the solutions, the one who knows who to call to resolve it," she explains.

Her day is full, and in addition to overseeing technical and maintenance tasks, she tries to be attentive to the people. She gets to know the families, listens to their concerns, and supports the children when they need it. "There's a lot of human contact here, and that's what I like most. It's not just a job; it's a responsibility I take very seriously. It's my home," she adds. She won't be leaving the Ses Rotes Velles Primary School: "It's a place where I grew up and where I've always found my space."

Magdalena Garau

Cleaner at Son Pacs Secondary School (Palma) with 35 years of experience

In a school where hundreds of students and teachers pass by every day, with thousands of shoes and hundreds of pieces of waste that end up in the bins (or on the floor), the work of professionals like Magdalena Garau is essential. With more than 35 years of experience as a civil servant cleaner for the Ministry of Education and six years of dedication at Son Pacs Secondary School, together with her colleagues, she ensures that "every space in the school, including the dormitories, is clean every day." Cleaning is usually done between 2 and 3 p.m., when students have already left the classrooms and before the afternoon shift arrives.

All the ESO and Bachillerato classrooms, the workshops, and also the dormitories, which have increased over the years, are reviewed. "But they have air conditioning, and it's nice to be there," she says with a laugh. Garau emphasizes that the entire team works carefully to ensure everything is in perfect order and ready for the next person who needs to use the facilities. She enjoys the job and emphasizes that the students respect her and help her move heavy furniture when she asks. She also appreciates that "the management and teachers take the cleaners' needs into account at all times."

One of the biggest challenges is that most of the school's cleaning staff is over 60 years old, so she demands that "they hire someone else, because there's a lot of work and we're up and down all day." She also explains that when there's construction work or painters in the summer, they don't coordinate with them and "everything has to be cleaned again," but she says she faces it with determination.

Magdalena clearly remembers her 25 years at the IES Politécnico: "We had wooden floorboards, more than 300, and one summer we cleaned them thoroughly. When we returned in September, they had thrown them out and brought in new ones. It really bothered us." For her, her work is essential: "They couldn't function without us," she summarizes. With all this experience under her belt, Magdalena continues to bring professionalism to Son Pacs, as well as self-sufficiency: "I started cleaning when I was 24, and now there are things that are more difficult for me; that's why I ask for someone else. Son Pacs is a large center."

Maria Roig

Head chef and cooperative member at the Es Liceu school (Palma)

The kitchen at CC Es Liceu is a space open to everyone. This is one of the principles followed by Maria Roig, the center's head chef, where she has worked for 19 years. "Together with my colleagues, we are the center's food machinery. We place the orders, check that they arrive correctly, prepare the menus to ensure they meet nutritional parameters, prepare the rolls for break time..." she lists.

She starts work at 8 a.m., and from then on, the supplies begin to arrive. An important task is reviewing what needs to be cooked that day and comparing it with any reported allergies, in order to prepare differentiated menus. Then, the machinery is activated and they prepare food for 500 people. Beyond the culinary work, the kitchen team also trains families. "We have a dining room committee where we explain the rationale behind each menu, so they understand that nothing is random," she explains.

She feels valued by the school, but not always by the families or the students. "Sometimes they don't believe that everything we serve is homemade, and everything is. This idea reaches the children, and then they don't appreciate the food we prepare," she laments.

In nine years dedicated to the school kitchen, many anecdotes accumulate, and one of them is linked to an invertebrate animal that most people don't like very much. "We cooked broad beans with noodles and it was a disaster, because the children didn't understand that a puree could have noodles, and they thought they were worms. It was so shocking that even the families asked what had happened and we had to explain to them that it was a Mallorcan dish, that it was like that, and that they weren't worms."

Carolina Rodríguez

Worker in the cafeteria of the Portocristo Secondary School (Manacor)

The day Carolina Rodríguez was offered a job at the cafeteria at Portocristo High School, she wasn't sure what to expect. She'd come from a butcher shop, and the change was drastic. Now, however, she wouldn't leave that job for anything. "The children at the school are like my own," she admits. "I'm the bad cop. I have two other colleagues. Now, when the students want to buy something between classes, knowing they're not allowed to, they send them to me so I can tell them they can't," she explains with a laugh.

Her routine begins at 7 a.m., when she arrives at the cafeteria, turns on the oven, puts in the baguettes, and greets the children who come in to order snacks for break time. "I like what I do and I'm happy because I'm in contact with people, with children, some of whom are very naughty, but who make themselves loved," she confesses.

The cafeteria operates with a clear motto: no student should go hungry. This way, if a student ever forgets their snack, they can go, they'll be given food, and they'll be given credit for payment. This policy is especially important for children who don't bring a snack because they have financial difficulties at home. "Both school and the cafeteria are open at one o'clock. These children shouldn't have to pay for anything, under any circumstances," he says.

When asked what change he would like to see made to improve his work, he makes a seemingly simple request: "There are two places to ask for. Ido, please make two lines, because it's always so crowded," he demands.