Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
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?
This is a struggle in my school. I will make them clean up before leaving class but I've been told many times that it's the custodians job to clean up their messes. This is the prevailing attitude at my school. You should see what the hallways look like at the end of the day. Our custodians sweep during every class hour because they have to to keep up with the mess they make.
I've never had a parent complain about my making kids clean up the classroom but I have a hard time policing it. I have to make sure I look before the bell rings and announce that I will not release class until the mess is cleaned up.
I don't have a problem with the kids doing chores so long as it's not always the same ones having to do the clean up after someone else created the mess. We did this when I was in school, including bathrooms and everyone had a turn at both the undesirable chores and coveted ones.
That said, however, ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by cindersslipper
I would've replied to that note with a note along the lines of
Children learn social skills at school also. One of those social skills is Cleaning Up After Yourself and Sharing Chores. This will serve them well at their future workplaces where they will be expected to clean up at the end of the day by their employers.
Thereby giving a dig and a finger wave at those parents who don't teach their children to tidy their own mess.
... this statement right there and the attitude behind it really ticks me off. That kind of snotty attitude toward parents is one reason it's so hard to get parents behind schools. You may think you're being cute, but you're sending no message at all to those who cause the problems and really P'ing off the ones who should be your biggest supporters. Go over to the thread on homeschooling and realize you just added one more reason for homeschooling and charter schools.
... this statement right there and the attitude behind it really ticks me off. That kind of snotty attitude toward parents is one reason it's so hard to get parents behind schools. You may think you're being cute, but you're sending no message at all to those who cause the problems and really P'ing off the ones who should be your biggest supporters. Go over to the thread on homeschooling and realize you just added one more reason for homeschooling and charter schools.
99% of the problems I have with kids could be resolved by a change in parenting. But as we all know, people don't change.
I've got a kid who cannot focus for even 2 seconds without moving in his seat, playing with something, or mumbling. Mom and dad took him off his ADHD meds two years ago and his grades plummeted.
Also, many people are not open to criticism about their kids. I lost count of how many times I've heard "my child would never do that." Children are essentially clones of their parents and by discussing faults, you are basically insulting their parenting skills.
Last year, I had a kid who would constantly try to read leisurely in class. Instead of taking his book away, I just had him place his book on my desk because he was incapable of NOT reading during class. When I called his parents, I got a simple "okay, we'll talk to him about it." Do you think anything changed? NOPE
When I call home about P/T conferences, most parents are really supportive and thank me for calling. But a few just say "okay." Not even a thanks or I'll try to make it there. It sounds almost like I am bothering them. No wonder their kid has straight Ds and Fs. If I had to go home to that hell hole of a home, I'd probably have a complete lack of interesting in everything as well. If they are this rude to their child's teacher, I wonder what they act like to the kid. Also, these parents rarely show up to conferences. These are the parents who need to show up, not the parents of my A+ students.
It should be required to take a test to become a parent.
This is a struggle in my school. I will make them clean up before leaving class but I've been told many times that it's the custodians job to clean up their messes. This is the prevailing attitude at my school. You should see what the hallways look like at the end of the day. Our custodians sweep during every class hour because they have to to keep up with the mess they make.
I've never had a parent complain about my making kids clean up the classroom but I have a hard time policing it. I have to make sure I look before the bell rings and announce that I will not release class until the mess is cleaned up.
As a sub, I often do have to remind students to pick up papers/pencils/etc from the floor before they leave the classroom.
However, it is truly sad to imagine a HS school where the janitors have to sweep the hallways multiple during the school day. I am pretty sure that at the HSs where I sub the janitors only sweep and clean the hallways once a day, after school, and the hallways are still pretty clean and mess free at that time. Of course, in winter, with snowy shoes and if there is a real mess they would spot clean more often, but other than that they don't really need to clean the hallways.
We had "room cleaners" who really didn't sweep/clean anything in the rooms regularly. Don't ask. So I did what's been suggested by a few posters. I'd monitor where the mess was coming from (since I taught self-contained elementary, it was easy to do) and have that person clean up his/her own mess (pencil shavings was a big one for a few kids). I also did the "pick up the trash around/in your desk and deposit it as we leave the room" thing. It really helped. I didn't have any parents complain, but if they would have, I would have shared that there are expectations of cleaning up after themselves at school just like parents have at home for their children.
We are not in Japan, so yes it's the job of a janitor. If that was my child i would have told you that under no circumstances are you to use my child as janitor. I would also have my lawyer write a letter to school principal threatening a lawsuit. I am better you would change your policy quickly.
We are not in Japan, so yes it's the job of a janitor. If that was my child i would have told you that under no circumstances are you to use my child as janitor. I would also have my lawyer write a letter to school principal threatening a lawsuit. I am better you would change your policy quickly.
That’s a bit extreme. Why wouldn’t you want your child to help keep the room clean?
That’s a bit extreme. Why wouldn’t you want your child to help keep the room clean?
We do not live in 3rd world country or in country where it's normal to have students to clean classroom. We live in USA, where it's expected that school will employee people who job it's to clean after other people. For that reason it's not my child job to help keep school clean.
We do not live in 3rd world country or in country where it's normal to have students to clean classroom. We live in USA, where it's expected that school will employee people who job it's to clean after other people. For that reason it's not my child job to help keep school clean.
Egads......
How old is your child?
__________________
When I post in bold red that is moderator action and, per the TOS, can only be discussed through Direct Message.
We are not in Japan, so yes it's the job of a janitor. If that was my child i would have told you that under no circumstances are you to use my child as janitor. I would also have my lawyer write a letter to school principal threatening a lawsuit. I am better you would change your policy quickly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by looker009
We do not live in 3rd world country or in country where it's normal to have students to clean classroom. We live in USA, where it's expected that school will employee people who job it's to clean after other people. For that reason it's not my child job to help keep school clean.
Give me a break. Teachers are NOT talking about having students mop the floor or clean the toilets!
Sheesh! I was a teacher for 40 years. Most teachers ask students to pick up the loose papers, pencils and crayons that they dropped near their desks, or pick up their used napkin & empty milk carton from the table in the cafeteria or wipe up any glue that they spill on their desks. And, you would really contact the principal and threaten a lawsuit for a teacher asking your child to do those things?
Unless you or a maid or a servant follow your child around your house 24/7, aren't those the kind of things that your child is expected to do at home? Or does your child, just throw things on the floor and spill things and make messes and expect you to clean up everything?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
