A day in the life of a Dallas ISD custodian who finds joy in his role

While families are getting their children ready for school, Miller Wilson and hundreds of Dallas ISD custodians are getting schools and facilities throughout the district ready to receive students, district employees, and community members. 

Wilson, who is beginning his third year with the district at Mockingbird Elementary School, normally arrives on campus at 6:30 a.m. When necessary, he gets there as early as 5 a.m. 

While the hours might be challenging for some, for Wilson, they are fine because every day brings a new opportunity to not only do the work that he enjoys but also to see the people he considers to be part of his extended family. He also gets to see his grandson, who attends the school.

“Everybody around here makes me smile,” Wilson said. “The kids, my colleagues, the community—I love making everybody happy. If everybody is happy, I’m happy.”  

The first thing Wilson does when he arrives is turn on all the lights in the building. Stopping in the main office to clear out  the trash, he makes sure to spray and wipe everything down to avoid the spread of any illness. He cleans the offices in the front, the bathrooms, makes sure the auditorium is vacuumed and that the gym and library are clean. The copy room and the nurse’s office round up the morning routine. All of this is done by 7:20 a.m., as team members arrive and before students begin entering the building. 

Wilson carries a school radio so team members are able to reach him quickly to tend to anything that might come up, from maintenance issues to cleaning up spills. Around 1:30 p.m. he eats lunch. After school, he works in different sections, such as the six upstairs bathrooms and classrooms. From early morning to afternoon, Wilson is on his feet, and he said it’s the best job he’s ever had. 

Even as team members throughout the district were out for the summer, Wilson was busy at work getting the building and portables ready for students and teachers who would be there for summer school. He stripped the floors and waxed them and made sure the facilities were up to standards to keep everyone healthy, he said. 

“I treat others with kindness and respect, and I receive it back from my school and community,” Wilson said. 

While Wilson is the lead custodian at the school, he works with one other colleague, and together, they’ve received a high score by the Custodial Department every time their work is evaluated. Although they are a small team, they are mighty, he said, and takes pride in the good work they are doing serving the school. 

Wilson said the thing he enjoys the most from his job is the camaraderie and the relationship building with PTA members, office personnel, teachers, and students. He said he feels appreciated by all. 

All students seem to know his name, he said. Students at Mockingbird who are deaf and communicate via sign language, gave him his own sign, something that Wilson finds endearing. Wilson said it’s a sign that is a reference to the braids that he has in his hair. 

The only regret that Wilson had is not having found this job sooner in life. 

“I wish I could have started 15 years ago,” he said. He has been told by colleagues that there aren’t too many people like him. He’s referring to what he called his heart of service above and beyond the call of duty, he said.

Working in public education is something he discovered by accident. Wilson previously had been working in a factory but ended up leaving that role to help his sick daughter, who passed away. He asked a friend if they were hiring in the district in custodial services, so he took a leap of faith and applied. Making the switch is one of the best decisions he’s ever made, he said. 

“Working for the district and at Mockingbird has been a perfect fit for me,” Wilson said. “The trust, the connection, and the relationship building—the rapport with the school’s community is more than I had ever hoped for.”