Cleaner Now

 

Cleaner Now

An elementary classroom is a busy place. Engaging minds means keeping little fingers busy and little fingers make a lot of mess. When I was a novice teacher, I  reminded my students to pick up pencils and paper scraps from the floor. The floor stayed messy. When I asked a child to pick up litter, the answer was usually, “I didn’t put it there.” 

Finally, I wised up. I started picking up litter I hadn’t dropped along with a few pointed comments:

“I had better pick this up before someone trips.”

“Won’t our custodian be surprised when he sees how clean the floor is!”

“Our classroom looks really great when we keep it clean.”

Before long, I had an army of helpers all applauding themselves when they picked up scraps they hadn’t dropped. The custodian stopped in to tell the class how happy he was because we made his job easier. 

Our national sage, Ben Franklin, said “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Children love to get involved. Modeling good practices like cleaning the floor, sharing possessions, and showing kindness is the first step. Involving them in the process is the second step.  

Make walking the dog or picking up toys a family event. Show enthusiasm for the job. Share stories, tell jokes, point out interesting parts of the job. Teach your children that families work together to keep the house and yard clean, cook healthy meals, and help one another succeed. Let them sweep, stir, or read to a sibling.

Chores become family time. When children see themselves as vital members of the family team, they are more likely to assume responsibility — without nagging.   

Psychology researcher, Heidi Riggio, writes “when children help with the work of the household, they develop a belief in themselves as capable and effective.” Capable children grow in confidence. Confident children collaborate with others, learn new things, examine information, find problems, and create new solutions — including new ways to do household chores more efficiently. When all members of a family are involved in cleaning, sharing, and helping others, all benefit.  

A few months back, my granddaughter and I noticed that the city blocks around our library were littered with trash. She asked me, “Why doesn’t anybody pick it up?”

“Well, I said, why don’t we do it?” We got some gloves and a couple of trash bags and got to work. 

Now, every few weeks, we take a walk in town. We wear sun-hats and gloves and pull a trash basket behind us. As we walk along we greet our neighbors. Many of them thank us. Some pick up a piece of litter and drop it into our basket. We’ve noticed that the streets stay cleaner between our walks. We’ve made some friends too.

Involve your children in making the world a cleaner, better, happier place, then enjoy it together.