Justine McKeen, Walk the Talk Read Online Free Page A

marks.”
    â€œI hope you’re right,” Justine said. “I want to make up for the extra work you had to do when the roof garden wrecked the roof.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” Mr. Barnes said. “I’ve decided it’s important to be green, and a person needs to keep trying out different ideas.” He winked at Justine. “I hope your class enjoys the video.”

Chapter Thirteen
    Justine’s teacher, Mrs. Howie, rolled out the class television. She put a DVD in the player.
    â€œStudents,” Mrs. Howie said. “Our principal has asked that every class watch this DVD . There has been a problem with girls putting lipstick marks on the bathroom mirrors. This DVD has a message from our principal and the janitor.”
    Mrs. Howie turned off the lights and pressed Play .
    On the screen, Ms. Booth was holding a video camera and pointing it at a mirror in one of the girls’ bathrooms. Her reflection appeared in the mirror.
    She zoomed in on the smooch marks on the mirror. “This has become a problem because it is a lot of work for our janitor, Mr. Barnes. I thought I would show you how difficult it is for him to clean the mirror.”
    Ms. Booth turned the video camera toward Mr. Barnes. He wore rubber gloves. He was holding a large sponge. He waved at the camera. Then he spoke.
    â€œI know it is fun for girls to kiss the mirrors,” Mr. Barnes said. “But these marks are not fun to clean. The first thing I do is get this sponge wet. I like to recycle water instead of wasting it from the tap.”
    The video camera followed him as he walked to a toilet. He pushed the sponge into the toilet water. When he lifted the sponge out, toilet water dripped from the sponge.
    â€œNext,” Mr. Barnes said, “I use this sponge to clean the mirror.”
    With the sponge full of toilet water, he walked to the mirror. He washed the mirror with the sponge. Toilet water dripped down the mirror. When the lipstick marks were finally gone, he squeezed the sponge out over the sink. Then he wiped the mirror again with the sponge to get the last of the toilet water off.

    â€œEvery day after school, I have to clean the mirrors with toilet water,” Mr. Barnes said. “So now you know how much work it is for me. And you can help me by not kissing the mirrors anymore. Thank you.”
    The video ended.
    Mrs. Howie turned the lights on and the television off.
    â€œGirls,” she said, “do you have any questions about the message from our janitor?”
    Three girls put their hands up.
    â€œYes,” Mrs. Howie said to the first girl.
    Sydney Martin’s eyes bulged. “Can I go to the bathroom? I have to brush my teeth! Right now!”
    Ava had her hand over her mouth and said, “Me too! Please! Right now! I can’t believe he uses toilet water to clean the mirror!”

    Then the third girl, Mya, said, “Please! Right now! I feel sick.”
    Justine tried not to giggle. She knew they had kissed the mirror.
    She also knew they would never do it again.

Notes for Students and Teachers
    Chapter One
    Many schools have No Idling signs outside them. Not only does this help the environment, but it prevents kids from breathing unhealthy air. If you think this is a problem at your school, you could ask your teacher about trying to put up No Idling signs. But ask nice!
    Chapter Four
    Roof gardens are a great idea, and they are becoming more and more popular. Often roofs that are black take more energy to cool, so putting plants on the roof saves energy. Plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, so the more plants there are, the better. If you think it’s possible to start a roof garden at your school, just make sure you do it with your teachers and not the way Justine did.
    Chapter Six
    If you have a lot of students who live close enough to your school to be able to walk, it would be a great project to start a walking school bus. As you saw with