My friends DD was told by a teacher to clean the toilets at school!

[phillybeth]

I don't have a problem with kids helping to keep a school clean. When I was in grade school (catholic parochial school) we kids swept the floors, emptied the trash, cleaned the chalkboards, wiped out our desks at the end of the year, etc. But cleaning bathrooms with heavy-duty chemicals and exposing students to potential biohazards is not something a school should be doing.

 

[gymnasticsmom68]

I don't have any issues with my kids helping, I would have an issue with them cleaning toilets. There is a big difference between wiping down a table and cleaning disgusting toilets. YUCK!!! Who's going to pay the mediacal bills if one of these kids comes down with some nasty illness? I'm just totally grossed out over here.

Then they have the nerve!!!! to only give them ONE glove, OMG I'm having a cow. What exactly is the point of that?

 

[lrmillen]

o the good old days of girl scout camp. <sigh> it may be gross but you haven't truly lived until you've cleaned a latrine.

 

[BrerMom]

Yup, we don't live in Japan. I wish the kids here respected their teachers and school the way those kids do, though. Most people have heard of the student-exchange programs. Our friend did a teacher-exchange to Japan. She said she suffered from a little culture shock at the beginning. She was used to teaching elementary here and taught the same aged kids there. She said she was really shocked the first time she dismissed class and every kid stood up and said together "Thank you for teaching us today."

I just threw this out as a comparison that we as a society seem to be expecting less and less from our kids with respect to taking care of themselves and their classrooms.

I would like to see the kids responsible for cleaning the classrooms. Toilets are a little excessive, especially for elementary, but I wouldn't have a problem with it if I were told beforehand and they were allowed to wear gloves. and one glove? kind of silly.

 

[gymnasticsmom68]

Ah yes, the 'US sucks and other countries have it all figured out' debate. Hmmm..... yes my children are so spoiled because I don't let them clean the toilets at school, those poor kids. I feel terrible for them.

 

[Maleficent2]

you mean no one here has a child that age (12) clean a toilet at home?

There is an extremely BIG difference here!

As other posters have pointed out urine and feces are biohazards and cleaning your personal bathrooms at home is not on the same level as cleaning public bathrooms.

Also you can die from mixing cleaning chemicals they can cause a reaction between each other and the fumes can and do kill. So no child should be using chemicals strong enough to kill bacteria in a public restroom. Only trained personnel should be using such chemicals. And then there is the caustic nature of these chemicals what if it were to splash into the childs eyes? This is just too scary too think about.

Prior knowledge or not this practice is unacceptable. There are many other ways to teach children values risking their health and wellbeing is not one of them.

And I beleive OSHA would think so also, I would almost venture to say that this might tetter on the brink of illegal.

Mal

 

[BrerMom]

I don't think that the US ... ah ....stinks , but I do believe in comparing with other countries, other states, even other school districts to see what works and what doesn't. For example, I really wish our school district would let the older kids sleep in and start school at 9:00; it's been successful elsewhere. The U.S. does a great job of producing independent thinkers. What's wrong with wanting kids that are willing to take care of their school, too? And, no, cleaning toilets doesn't have to be on the list of chores to accomplish this. Does that clarify what I'm trying to say?

 

[hyzdufan]

If I made one of my students clean the crapper every time they were out of line, we'd all go potty on fine, shiny porcelain.

 

[pw2pp]

To Stinkerbelle and others (who think it's no big deal):

I send my kids to school to learn..... and I mean learn ACADEMICS.
If I want my child to learn housekeeping I will teach them that at home. The time they are wasting on cleaning toilets is TAKING AWAY from academics.
and there is no way in hell I am going to PAY for tuition for a Private School and have my kid clean someone else's bodily fluids off of a toilet instead of learning.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Thanks guys or all the replies. I myself was livid and it wasn't even my child. And my friends, whos DD this happened to live on a 50 acre farm. They have cows and pigs, so they are no stranger to hard work, even the 12yo girl. She helps out before and after school. My friends gripe was she does not send her child to school to clean toilets, she sends her there to learn reading, writing and arithmetic.

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by stinkerbelle
you mean no one here has a child that age (12) clean a toilet at home?

I honestly DON'T see a problem with it.

wait until college...when she's woken up at 3am to clean the communal bathroom with the rest of the girls on her floor - you want nasty? THAT'S nasty!

Well I for one would never have my 12 year old child clean out even the toilet in our house! My mom wold have never had me do it as a kid nor would I make her do it. I remember dropping a hairbrush in tehre as a kid and fishing it out with a stick and tossing it in the trash every time it went in there, to gross when you area kid!
I would be livid if I paid all that tuition for privite school and they thought my child was a janitor there!

 

[crazyme5kids]

I make my older kids (18, 15 and almost 12) help clean the bathroom and toilet. I keep bathroom wipes handy and they know how to use them. They know how to clean the toilet too.
Kids need to learn how to keep things clean and how to use a public restroom. As we all know restrooms are usually gross and we all should make an effort to carry bathroom disinfectant wipes and give the seat (and handle) a wipe before and after using the toilet. This will make it a little better for the next person in line LOL.

 

[Mskanga]

Originally posted by pw2pp
To Stinkerbelle and others (who think it's no big deal):

I send my kids to school to learn..... and I mean learn ACADEMICS.
If I want my child to learn housekeeping I will teach them that at home. The time they are wasting on cleaning toilets is TAKING AWAY from academics.

Thank you, that's exactly how I feel.

 

[gymnasticsmom68]

And, no, cleaning toilets doesn't have to be on the list of chores to accomplish this. Does that clarify what I'm trying to say?

FYI, this is a discussion on a child HAVING TO CLEAN THE TOILETS at school, if you don't agree with it why are you arguing about it?

Although you did say....

I would like to see the kids responsible for cleaning the classrooms. Toilets are a little excessive, especially for elementary, but I wouldn't have a problem with it if I were told beforehand and they were allowed to wear gloves. and one glove? kind of silly.

Nobody here said we mind children doing a little hard work, but I definitely mind anybody thinking my kids are going to clean a public restroom. Go to McDonald's one of these day, would you want your kids to clean those restrooms, because if you think the school ones are better, you are sadly mistaken.

If the kids in Japan have to clean the restrooms after school every day, let me make that reason #8769 why I'm happy I live in the USA.

 

[stinkerbelle]

Originally posted by pw2pp
To Stinkerbelle and others (who think it's no big deal):

I send my kids to school to learn..... and I mean learn ACADEMICS.
If I want my child to learn housekeeping I will teach them that at home. The time they are wasting on cleaning toilets is TAKING AWAY from academics.
and there is no way in hell I am going to PAY for tuition for a Private School and have my kid clean someone else's bodily fluids off of a toilet instead of learning.

Ok - I can see if this 'activity' is taking away from academic time - then it's a problem. I understand you there.

But I have to say - as soon as I was old enough to hold a toilet brush - my mom had me scrubbing them.

and I used to work at a fast food restaurant and had to clean the toilets there many many times. I never caught any type of disease.

I still stand by what I said...and I think another poster made a good comment - if children are asked to clean the bathrooms - maybe they would think twice about defacing them in the future. (Yes - I remember our bathrooms in school - not pretty sights all of them.)

It's just my opinion...

 

[missypie]

I think a lot of the problem is expectations .... what you signed on for. For example, if some parents got together and decided to start a school but money was scarce, they might mutually decide to divide up the necessary chores..but that doesn't sound like what went on here.

I once met a woman who went to high school one year on a clipper ship....sort of like a sea faring "Outward Bound" program. I'm sure those girls did all kinds of things that kids won't do in regular schools, but they knew it going in to the program.