In a video that has made a million people weep this week, a school janitor in Thailand’s northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani said through tears that she didn’t deserve a ceremony the students held in her honor after she was diagnosed with cancer and forced to quit her job.
School janitor Lampao Chuenchob, referred to by the students of Benchama Maharat School as “Auntie Dang,” said she didn’t expect to be bestowed with a flower garland at the school’s meeting hall or to have students publicly tell her how much she’d meant to them when her last day arrived on Wednesday.
“I’d like to thank you for not only taking care of our building, but taking care of us all,” a student representative said at the assembly.
“We thank you so much. Now, due to a health issue, you have to rest and take care of yourself. We thank you for what you’ve done for us and apologize for the wrong we’ve done to you. Please apologize if we’ve ever caused trouble to you or making the classrooms dirty,” the student continued.
After that, all the students in the hall joined together in singing her a song to wish her a speedy recovery.
“You all are so nice. I hope you didn’t mind that I was mean to you,” Auntie Dang said at the song’s conclusion, making the students laugh.
“I’m just a janitor,” she continued through tears. “You shouldn’t have done this. No one has ever done this for me. Thanks to all of you.”
The heartfelt ceremony, which took place on Sept. 27, has been shared widely on social media and made local headlines yesterday, as many people praised not only the teens for their action, but also the teachers for the job they’d done in imparting values to their students.
According to one student’s account that was widely shared on Facebook, Auntie Dang was the only janitor who cleaned the classrooms of the students in the EEP (Excellent Educational Program), which is for those gifted in math and science.
She had only been working at the school for two years, before being diagnosed with cancer. Details of her illness was not disclosed.
Teachers and guardians at the school have donated to help pay for her medical bills, while many netizens have been leaving messages to wish her better health.
