Cleaning Day is Over
My son and I went to his school this morning to participate in 'Cleaning Day'. This is the day at the end of the year when parents and kids are asked to help get the classrooms ready for the next year. We were asked to give an hour or an hour and a half of our time. We got there at 8:30 sharp and were the only family there. We stayed for more than an hour and saw only one other parent. My son and I scrubbed the floor in the 'New Room', which is where the painting and other messy activities happen. It took us almost the entire hour we were there. My son worked just as hard as I did, which made me very proud. Then we did some vacuuming and I washed some dishes. When we were finished, I told his teachers that we would also like to donate supplies or other items that they might need for next year. She told me about a mat that they would like for the gym. I agreed it would be a good idea and told her my husband and I would find a good one that fits their space. They thanked my son and I for our hard work and said they were very impressed with how willing my son was to work hard for as long as he did. I was impressed, too! I don't know many three-year-olds who are willing to scrub floors and vacuum for over an hour.
We left school feeling happy and proud of ourselves for helping. However, I then started to wonder why we were the only ones there. His teacher told me that many of the other parents work and are not available on Wednesday mornings. She also told me that several other parents told her they had other things to do. She said she only expected 5 parents to show up. Really? We pay next to nothing for our children to attend this school and the parents can't find a way to give an hour of their time to help out??? I was practically seething by the time I got home. This is what I'm talking about people! Why is it someone else's job to take care of our children? Why do we just expect that someone else will pick up the slack? Why do we, as a society, shirk our responsibilities? Well, I'm no shirker. I will honor my commitments and my responsibilities. I will take care of my children and support their teachers.
We left school feeling happy and proud of ourselves for helping. However, I then started to wonder why we were the only ones there. His teacher told me that many of the other parents work and are not available on Wednesday mornings. She also told me that several other parents told her they had other things to do. She said she only expected 5 parents to show up. Really? We pay next to nothing for our children to attend this school and the parents can't find a way to give an hour of their time to help out??? I was practically seething by the time I got home. This is what I'm talking about people! Why is it someone else's job to take care of our children? Why do we just expect that someone else will pick up the slack? Why do we, as a society, shirk our responsibilities? Well, I'm no shirker. I will honor my commitments and my responsibilities. I will take care of my children and support their teachers.
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