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Age of a child is irrelevant. It's not child job to clean in school. If we are to start thinking that students should help keep school clean, we will get to the point where in high school it will be suggested that student should be picking up rags, brooms and mops and helping janitors.
Kids are welcome to volunteer if they want to clean but it should not be expected of them
Age of a child is irrelevant. It's not child job to clean in school. If we are to start thinking that students should help keep school clean, we will get to the point where in high school it will be suggested that student should be picking up rags, brooms and mops and helping janitors.
Kids are welcome to volunteer if they want to clean but it should not be expected of them
Let's compare a child cleaning up the mini mess that they make at school with how you act on your job. Let's say that you accidently spill your coffee on a few of the papers on your desk. Do you leave a note for the janitor to clean it up at night? Or, do you clean up the mess that you made before it ruins all of your papers? How is that different than asking a child to wipe up the glue that they spilled on their desk?
Or you drop your pen or computer mouse on the floor. Do you expect the janitor to sweep them up at night and throw them away? Or do you pick them up so that you can continue working? How is that different than asking a child to pick up the crayons or pencils that they drop on the floor?
Let's compare a child cleaning up the mini mess that they make at school with how you act on your job. Let's say that you accidently spill your coffee on a few of the papers on your desk. Do you leave a note for the janitor to clean it up at night? Or, do you clean up the mess that you made before it ruins all of your papers? How is that different than asking a child to wipe up the glue that they spilled on their desk?
Or you drop your pen or computer mouse on the floor. Do you expect the janitor to sweep them up at night and throw them away? Or do you pick them up so that you can continue working? How is that different than asking a child to pick up the crayons or pencils that they drop on the floor?
Let's compare a child cleaning up the mini mess that they make at school with how you act on your job. Let's say that you accidently spill your coffee on a few of the papers on your desk. Do you leave a note for the janitor to clean it up at night? Or, do you clean up the mess that you made before it ruins all of your papers? How is that different than asking a child to wipe up the glue that they spilled on their desk?
Or you drop your pen or computer mouse on the floor. Do you expect the janitor to sweep them up at night and throw them away? Or do you pick them up so that you can continue working? How is that different than asking a child to pick up the crayons or pencils that they drop on the floor?
Hmmm, something to think about.
The issue isn't about cleaning up after yourself; it's about cleaning up after others. I said earlier in this thread, and my opinion hasn't changed over the last several years -- chores are fine; they teach basic responsibility. But using clean up as punishment for the whole class over the actions of a few is wrong. It should be the ones who made the mess cleaning up, not the ones who didn't.
To use your own example, cleaning up your desk from your spill before it ruins your papers is normal. But Bob across the office who spills coffee on his desk every day, drops donut crumbs on the floor, papers strew all about, does the boss make you go over and clean up Bob's mess every day before you can go home?
Common chores and rotating duties is good; punishing the whole class for the actions of a few isn't.
Let's compare a child cleaning up the mini mess that they make at school with how you act on your job. Let's say that you accidently spill your coffee on a few of the papers on your desk. Do you leave a note for the janitor to clean it up at night? Or, do you clean up the mess that you made before it ruins all of your papers? How is that different than asking a child to wipe up the glue that they spilled on their desk?
Or you drop your pen or computer mouse on the floor. Do you expect the janitor to sweep them up at night and throw them away? Or do you pick them up so that you can continue working? How is that different than asking a child to pick up the crayons or pencils that they drop on the floor?
Hmmm, something to think about.
I work at a hospital. There are some doctors and nurses who have the same attitude as the person you responded to. Some of them leave their break room a disaster and complain about housekeeping and ants. One day I overheard them complaining about housekeeping not cleaning their break room and I received horrible dirty looks when I remarked, “well why did you make such a mess instead of picking up after yourselves?”. The worst example you gave actually happened. One of our housekeepers received a page about a “spill, STAT”. Not a big deal being a hospital because spills happen and are a safety issue. However this spill was a few drops of coffee on the floor right next to the nurse’s desk with the nurse who spilled the coffee still sitting there. The nurse’s attitude was so dismissive and obnoxious that the housekeeper tossed the mop at the nurse telling her to clean it up herself and then walked off the job never to return.
It is EVERYONE’S responsibility to keep up their home and work place. At work places this doesn’t mean full janitorial work. It means trash put in the proper receptacle, not tossing trash on the school grounds or floors, and not intentionally creating messes in rest rooms. It’s so sad to see a parent threaten legal action at even the thought of her child being required to pick up after themselves. Parents like this are part of the problem.the other end of the spectrum is parents who live in filth and pass on this behavior onto their kids who come to school thinking tossing trash on the floor is normal.
I have a rule in my classroom which states that if there is trash on the floor, no one is allowed to leave until it's cleaned up. All of my students agreed to this at the beginning of the year. I have their signatures and of the parents too.
Yesterday, my 3rd block class left trash on the floor (those ruffles from spiral bound paper, crumpled up paper, and other random papers), so I made them clean up the floor before they were allowed to leave(the mess which their class caused). It takes all of 30sec with everyone working together.
Last night, I got a nasty email from a parent stating that I treated her daughter like an "unpaid janitor" by having her clean up the floor.
In Japan, schools sometimes do not have custodians because the students are responsible for keeping the classroom clean. I'm hoping that my clean classroom rule transfers over to the rest of their lives. How many times have you gone into a public restroom, only to find trash all over the floor? People seem to have this mentality that "if it's not mine and I'm not responsible for cleaning it, I don't care." By allowing my students to leave with the floor dirty, it further supports this mentality.
Instead of after school detention, I'm all for having students clean classrooms. After all, the students are the ones who make a mess.
What are your rules for keeping the classroom clean?
1. This is not Japan.
2. I'm all for students cleaning up their mess. But I am not in favor of students having to clean up the mess made by others. In our school cafeteria, the students sitting at one particular lunch table were responsible for cleaning up their lunch table, but not more than that.
3. I hope you're also in favor of teachers cleaning up the faculty lounge.
2. I'm all for students cleaning up their mess. But I am not in favor of students having to clean up the mess made by others. In our school cafeteria, the students sitting at one particular lunch table were responsible for cleaning up their lunch table, but not more than that.
3. I hope you're also in favor of teachers cleaning up the faculty lounge.
This is about creating a community or societal expectation of keeping the community (classroom) clean.
(snip)
3. I hope you're also in favor of teachers cleaning up the faculty lounge.
I have worked in quite a few different schools. In each and every school it was the teachers who cleaned the break room (except for sweeping and mopping the floor and disinfecting the tables at night). Dirty dishes? Teachers responsibility. Spills in the microwave? Teachers responsibility. Left overs left out. Teachers responsibility. Dirty refrigerator? Teachers responsibility.
But, this thread is about students cleaning up after themselves (or their classmates for a communal mess).
I work at a hospital. There are some doctors and nurses who have the same attitude as the person you responded to. Some of them leave their break room a disaster and complain about housekeeping and ants. One day I overheard them complaining about housekeeping not cleaning their break room and I received horrible dirty looks when I remarked, “well why did you make such a mess instead of picking up after yourselves?”. The worst example you gave actually happened. One of our housekeepers received a page about a “spill, STAT”. Not a big deal being a hospital because spills happen and are a safety issue. However this spill was a few drops of coffee on the floor right next to the nurse’s desk with the nurse who spilled the coffee still sitting there. The nurse’s attitude was so dismissive and obnoxious that the housekeeper tossed the mop at the nurse telling her to clean it up herself and then walked off the job never to return.
It is EVERYONE’S responsibility to keep up their home and work place. At work places this doesn’t mean full janitorial work. It means trash put in the proper receptacle, not tossing trash on the school grounds or floors, and not intentionally creating messes in rest rooms. It’s so sad to see a parent threaten legal action at even the thought of her child being required to pick up after themselves. Parents like this are part of the problem.the other end of the spectrum is parents who live in filth and pass on this behavior onto their kids who come to school thinking tossing trash on the floor is normal.
So when are the janitors going to share the pay with students for doing their work?
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