Former Custodian Goes the Extra Mile to Serve School

According to KARE 11 News, a retired school custodian saw a need at his former place of employment—and filled it.

Mike Peterson provided janitorial duties for the Robbinsdale School District in Minnesota for nearly 30 years, with much of that time spent serving Plymouth Middle School, where he eventually became its head custodian. During that time, the article said, he was very aware of the lack of substitute teachers.

“[The problem] is immense,” Plymouth’s school principal Leah Ward confirmed to KARE. “Our human resources department has done a lot of different work trying to recruit in different ways, and we are still seeing a shortage.”

Peterson decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree while still a custodian and spent his evenings doing just that. In the spring of 2021, at the age of 64, he retired from his custodial position at the suburban Minneapolis school—and returned that fall as a substitute teacher.

“This old dog is learning new tricks,” he told KARE. He said that as he worked around the school, he would listen to—and learn from—its teachers. Now, he teaches in classrooms he once painted.

Social studies teacher Barb Wurdeman expressed her gratitude, telling KARE, “He could be home; he could be doing other things, but he’s choosing to help us.”

Asked why he returned, Peterson said, “It’s my family. These are the people I support.”