Am I crazy?
Don't answer that!
But am I crazy for being that dad who wants the members of his family to turn off the lights in the rooms no one occupies?
I was taught to turn off the lights in a room when exiting. I was taught that it was irresponsible to do otherwise. I was taught that it saved money. I was taught to be a good steward of resources.
Those habits of turning off the lights has followed me, through many long years, into my life as a public school teacher. I almost always turn off the lights in my classroom when I leave it unattended. When I finish making copies, and no one is waiting to use the machine, I turn off the lights. When I check the mail and no one else is in the mailroom, I turn off the lights.
Don't answer that!
But am I crazy for being that dad who wants the members of his family to turn off the lights in the rooms no one occupies?
I was taught to turn off the lights in a room when exiting. I was taught that it was irresponsible to do otherwise. I was taught that it saved money. I was taught to be a good steward of resources.
Those habits of turning off the lights has followed me, through many long years, into my life as a public school teacher. I almost always turn off the lights in my classroom when I leave it unattended. When I finish making copies, and no one is waiting to use the machine, I turn off the lights. When I check the mail and no one else is in the mailroom, I turn off the lights.
I have found, through the years, that there is a simple, plastic switch on wall, just as one enters most rooms in 21st century United States, that mysteriously controls the electrical flow to the lights on the ceiling. Flip the switch into the up position to turn the light on, and flip it down to turn the light off. It's really pretty simple to do, and yet too many fail to do so.
As a government employee, I consider myself to be a steward of the funds provided to the school district by taxpayers. Everything I have and do in my classroom is made possible through monies received from taxes paid by citizens of the land. Should I be like so many others and just blow the wad without thinking about the source?
But I see lights on in classrooms throughout the day when classfuls of students and teachers are elsewhere. And don't get me started about the big rooms like the gymnasium and the cafeteria.
At the end of the day, the 600 occupants of our particular school leave, and except for a few stragglers and custodians, the school is empty. Most rooms are left unoccupied by the human race. And I don't see any reason why the lights should be on in those rooms that are empty!
And yet, apparently, other people do not share my opinion. Some of these believe that, if someone is going to use the same room within, say, three hours, it's too much work for them to have to turn on the lights. Why, if someone was to come into the room later, they may not know about those amazing switches on the wall. They may not know it possible that the lights could be turned on by a mortal, and they might leave unfulfilled.
Does that make sense to you? Am I the one who's crazy in this scenario? Go ahead and answer that, based on a choice between turning off the lights for a couple of hours only to have them turned back on for an evening activity or leaving the lights on, burning electricity and taxpayer money for the two or three hours that a room sits unoccupied. It's a simple answer really.
So make sure you turn off the lights when no one is present to appreciate their illumination. It's just one thing we can do to save money and resources in this government job.
As a government employee, I consider myself to be a steward of the funds provided to the school district by taxpayers. Everything I have and do in my classroom is made possible through monies received from taxes paid by citizens of the land. Should I be like so many others and just blow the wad without thinking about the source?
But I see lights on in classrooms throughout the day when classfuls of students and teachers are elsewhere. And don't get me started about the big rooms like the gymnasium and the cafeteria.
At the end of the day, the 600 occupants of our particular school leave, and except for a few stragglers and custodians, the school is empty. Most rooms are left unoccupied by the human race. And I don't see any reason why the lights should be on in those rooms that are empty!
And yet, apparently, other people do not share my opinion. Some of these believe that, if someone is going to use the same room within, say, three hours, it's too much work for them to have to turn on the lights. Why, if someone was to come into the room later, they may not know about those amazing switches on the wall. They may not know it possible that the lights could be turned on by a mortal, and they might leave unfulfilled.
Does that make sense to you? Am I the one who's crazy in this scenario? Go ahead and answer that, based on a choice between turning off the lights for a couple of hours only to have them turned back on for an evening activity or leaving the lights on, burning electricity and taxpayer money for the two or three hours that a room sits unoccupied. It's a simple answer really.
So make sure you turn off the lights when no one is present to appreciate their illumination. It's just one thing we can do to save money and resources in this government job.
