The Janitor?

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Joann Jones

During my second year of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I breezed through the questions until I read the last one:

"What is the first name of the janitor who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times, but how could I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.

Before the class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our grade.

"Absolutely," the professor said. "In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.