Everybody clean up

When was the last time you cleaned your child's classroom?  I'm not talking about volunteering to pick up after a big art project or wandering around the athletic field picking up garbage.  I am specifically talking about grabbing a scrub brush and attacking a dingy sink or washing outside of the school pets enclosures.  In Japan, this isn't a volunteer request, it is an expectation that all families participate in.

Last week, I was notified that I needed to go to the school today at 10:45 am to help clean the school.  I was assigned to outdoor sink scrubbing.  Since this isn't the first time this expectation has been communicated, I wasn't really surprised by it.  Kids clean the school on a regular basis.  They firmly believe "those that play together, clean up together."  When you send your kid to the school, you are expected to help out in various forms throughout the year, including cleaning up.

I showed up ready to work.  I didn't have to roll up my sleeves because it was a warm day and I was wearing short sleeves.  I grabbed a brush and joined a few other moms in front of the sink we were tasked with cleaning.  We did not spray anything onto the sink.  Instead we just used brute strength and repetitive motions to remove the brown coloring around the edges.

While I helped with the sinks, other moms (I didn't see a single dad) were busy scrubbing the outside of all the pots in the play yard that are used to grow produce and even more were inside the gymnasium.  I noticed all the kids were also hard at work.  First, they wiped down their cubbies and returned their baskets to be relabeled for the next class.  Second, they helped to wipe down the windows looking into their classroom.  The third, and final, task was to wipe down the floors. 

When all was said and done, everyone worked for just 30 minutes and the entire school looked much brighter and the dinginess had been wiped away.  A bit of teamwork went a long way.