To think kids should clean schools as in Japan?

[brasty]

In Japan, kids clean up after themselves in schools. It is to teach them respect for their surroundings and to take responsibility for caring about those surroundings. AIBU to think this would be a good idea to introduce into British schools?

Sounds like a good idea but in reality it's just another job for teachers.

Do kids not clean up after themselves at school?

Sorry, I have no children school age as yet, but I remember tidying up toys, crayons, play things etc when I was at school. You could only sit down at your desk when everything was tidied away.

Or is this a more robust, cleaning the floors, scrubbing the loos, child labour situation?

Depends if you mean tidying up or cleaning toilets.

No they shouldn't be doing the cleaning at school.

Yes it's a good idea. But attitudes towards school, education and teachers is very different in Japan. I wouldn't like to be the teacher supervising that here - and that's not even considering the health and safety processes that would be needed, risk assessments, allergies, asthma etc - massive job for the teacher.

Yes they clean, sweep, mop, etc. Calling it child labour is over the top. It is cleaning up after themselves. And it works in Japan.

I remember sweeping and wiping down at the end of the day in junior school. 1980s.

When are they going to do this cleaning? After school or instead of lessons?

I really don't think that's necessary
Would you be happy to sweep and mop your office at the end of a working day?
The kids can learn to clean up after themselves at home, just like grown ups, surely?

Just because things "work" in a different culture doesn't mean it would here. (And how exactly is this deemed to "work")

Schools are for learning. Not bog scrubbing. Children should treat the school with respect and tidy up mess they make. That's all.

No, they should leave their classrooms and other areas tidy so the cleaners can get round with vacuums, mops, wipes etc but they should not have to clean it themselves.

I have worked in situations where we all clean where we work. It took very little time.

Would you be happy to sweep and mop your office at the end of a working day?

I sweep, mop, vacuum and dust my workplace at the end of every day. I don't see the issue.

They only use water to "clean" the schools in Japan though. Because the children aren't allowed to use chemicals, bleach etc. So essentially, it's just shit-shifting.

My 'Child labour' comment was clearly flippant.

I don't think learning how to clean is an essential part of the learning day, as long as they are tidying and being respectful.

Agree with NoCapes. I'll expect my kids to scrub the loo and mop the floor when everyone does it in their place of work

However they should clean up after themselves

Yes it's a good idea. But attitudes towards school, education and teachers is very different in Japan.

Yup. From what little I know about Japanese approaches to education and discipline this is one minor example of a very different mindset - one which I personally think is beneficial but which requires buy-in from most parents as to the attitude students should have towards education and teachers.

Incidentally I studied karate for years and then taught a junior (age 5 - 10) class. I cleaned the floors after class. I had my students clean the floor/tidy after class. I do think there was something in it about respect for the environment we were in.

And yes, the Japanese students "clean" the toilets. With water. It's not very nice.

Of course there's always the exception to everything you say on MN, and of course some people in small offices clean them at the end of the day (or big offices before someone jumps on that )
But it's really not the norm, and is unnecessary, and being a cleaner is a job in itself, small children do not need to be doing that - will they be paid??

bratsy is that your personal experience of teaching in Japan, or something you've read?

I taught in a Japanese senior high school for 3 years, and the students didn't do any cleaning, and some tended to fall asleep in lessons (I was told to let them sleep as they had long days and English conversation was a non examination subject, unlike English grammar which was taught by the head of English who knew lots about grammar but couldn't actually speak English).

If it's your personal experience then I beg your pardon, but if it's something you've read, then probably like most things in the media it's only partially true (maybe it's something they do at primary?). I have read about it too, but most of what I've read about Japanese education doesn't tally with what I actually saw.

My husband comes from a country where the kids also clean the schools.

He says the schools were always minging because the kids didn't bother cleaning properly.

This idea that all East Asians are super diligent and hard working from birth is a ridiculous stereotype.

It is what I have read. But I do think respect for your own environment is important as is learning to take responsibility.
When I was at school we used to do litter pick up.

Picking up pieces of paper after cutting out is hardly the same as getting out a mop and bucket.

Bratsy if you work do you vacuum up at the end of the day and scrub the loo's?

But bratsy they don't respect it. My husband said he used to chuck water all over the floor to make it look like he had cleaned, then hide in the toilets smoking.

Kids are kids the world over. As long as they tidy up after themselves, it's respectful enough in my opinion.