Custodians - its not their job to pick up your crap

well, not really their job at least.

Published on February 2, 2006 By Ziggystyles In Life Journals

So here I am in my room at school, watching over the kids who can't seem to control themselves. They make a mess of this room and from time to time, leave a mess for the custodian to clean up. Just today, I had a student who left decent sized pile of pencil pieces on the floor. He refused to pick it up. I told him its not the custodians job to pick up his crap.

Well jeesh, that started a discussion that sort of I can't win.

While custodians jobs are to clean things and make the rooms ready for the next day (as far as clean floors, desks, sinks, towels and like supplies), they shouldn't have to pick up crap that students purposly leave behind.

In Las Vegas, when I taught both 4th grade and kindergarten, I made my students clean up the room. I made a game out of it..sort of like a scavenger hunt (called Mystery Item...look for the mystery item and if you find it...you win a prize!). It was designed to get the students to pick up their mess so the custodian wouldnt have to spend extra time doing so. When I taught Kindergarten...I did the same thing for my Kindergarteners...and they had a blast as they got a sticker for finding the item. Then they stacked the chairs themselves into stacks of 4. Everything in the room was clean so that when the custodian came in...all he would have to do is empty the garbage, vacuum and mop.

I think students should learn some responsibilty in picking up their own mess instead of leaving it for someone else to take care of.

Comments

Texas Wahine

on Feb 02, 2006

Little kids like to clean up. Big kids don't (unless they're suck ups).

It's important for children to learn to respect their belongings and keep their own environment tidy and manageable.

I wouldn't have even debated the issue with the student. Respect for authority and all that. I wouldn't have let him leave without picking up his mess. No argument or debate over whose responsibility it is. Do it and you can leave. Don't do it and you can stay and we can look at each other until you get bored enough to pick up your crap.

PS - What are pencil pieces?

JillUser

on Feb 02, 2006

PS - What are pencil pieces?

I'm guessing pieces of a broken pencil.

It's not mom's job either!!

My Kindergartner is pretty good about cleaning when I ask him to. He sings the "clean up" song as he goes. My 3rd grader on the other hand, questions every little thing I ask him to do. I will usually ask nicely then resort to telling him to do it. If that doesn't work I resort to threats of discipline.

Like TW said, little ones like cleaning up but big ones don't. I think girls are better about it in general than boys though.

Ziggystyles

on Feb 03, 2006

I wouldn't have even debated the issue with the student. Respect for authority and all that. I wouldn't have let him leave without picking up his mess. No argument or debate over whose responsibility it is. Do it and you can leave. Don't do it and you can stay and we can look at each other until you get bored enough to pick up your crap.

Exactly, Id like to be able to do this, but I dont have any authority in the room so my hands are tied. The administration is not likely to do anything about something like that anyways. I tell them to clean it up and they laugh and flat out refuse. Im trying to set up a meeting with the admins of my school so some changes can be made.

ParaTed2k

on Feb 03, 2006

Students should be taught to clean up after themselves, I agree. The custodians work for the school district, not the students. As TW pointed out, it is a matter of respect. If the kids' idea that the custodians are there to clean up after them, and the adults only reinforce that idea through neglecting to teach the kids the truth, soon the student will learn that both the teacher and the custodians work for them.

The fact that the custodians do clean doesn't mean that the kids should take advantage of them by leaving their crap all over.

Good job for teaching them!!!

Locamama

on Feb 03, 2006

My high school was always clean. We had teachers visit from another school and they were amazed to see a kid picking up paper in the hallway and throwing it in the trash. Our school was thirty years old when I attended and it still looked new. I haven't been in there in fifteen years but its still in use. It amazes me when I see some of these inner city schools that are only a few years old that are just trashed out.

I went to Catholic school for grade school and we had certain jobs that we rotated. We took out the trash, washed the chalk boards etc. It wasn't a big deal. It didn't take very long and I'm sure made Tony's job much easier. We all loved Tony and certainly didn't want to make more work for him.

I don't know how my boys are at school hopefully better than they are at home. At home they don't seem to know what the sink or a trashcan are but they're about to get some lessons. I have had it with everyone acting like their arms are broke around here. We are going to start having daily room checks and if they aren't decent no nintendo, no friends over, no TV. I'm a mean mom.

Rightwinger

on Feb 03, 2006

As a former janitor......thank you for this article.

Though it is our job to clean up messes that occur during the performance of a job, that doesn't count the empty potato chip bag you left on your desk because didn't feel like throwing it away. For three days.
Or maybe you didn't hit the trash can with your styrofoam coffe or McDonald's cup; I don't mind cleaning up a spill, but if you just didn't feel like making the effort to pick it up yourself, it's not my fault. You're the one with bad aim.
Also, carelessly making messes just because you know you won't have to clean them up isn't nice at all. It makes you look like an elitist jerk making it hard on the workin' man.

That includes not lifting the seat, by the way.

I bet you don't do that at home.

perrinwlf

on Feb 04, 2006

I went to a school full of preppy wealthy kids who literally had maids come in and clean their house. I think some of them really don't realize what one or two little pieces of garbage mean to the time of the janitor. One or two pieces from every kid, that's a huge mess that would have taken them seconds, as things go, this means hours from the staff. I sat down and explained this to a girl and she looked at me like I was trying to explain Einsteins theory of relativity. Some people just don't get it.

Ziggystyles

on Feb 04, 2006

Also, carelessly making messes just because you know you won't have to clean them up isn't nice at all.

Im a firm believer in discipline and its effectiveness. We have laws that prevent us from smacking some sense into kids (because some parents dont....but Ill save that for another thread)....but I think we should as teachers and schools...make kids clean up if they make a mess. I dont mean picking up a bag or can, but if you purposly pump 23423 pumps of soap on the floor and make a skating rink in the bathroom...you should be given a mop and bucket and clean it up all by yourself. If you break a chair, desk or table, or anything on purpose or in a fit of anger...you should be held responsible for breaking it and replacing / fixing it. Argh...it torks me off because kids seem to get away with so much crap nowadays and schools can't do a thing about it.

MarcieMoo

on Feb 04, 2006

My students like to have "cleaning parties". I break out my lysol wipes and they clean their desks, the student whiteboards, basically every surface in the classroom. They pick up the coatroom, scraps, pencils and crayons that find their way to the floor. They're REALLY good citizens, but, you know, they're in first grade and they're still really eager to please.

Gotta love the babies.

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