Note: All workplaces should be kept tidy.

School days are hectic and “hurly-burly”. There is so much to do and so little time to do it! That being the case, it is easy for teachers and students to overlook the need for classrooms and personal space within (desks, tables, lockers and so on) to be kept in a reasonably clean and tidy state.

There can be nothing worse than opening a student desk to see a mass of learning material, waste material, socks, hats, toys, and other bits and pieces shoved in all higgledy-piggledy and to the extent that it’s hard to exert the pressure necessary to force the desk lid closed.

Another area quickly sullied is the classroom floor. Pencil shavings, bits of the writing tool, pieces of paper of all sizes, items of clothing, food scraps and wrappings are evidence of untidiness and sloppy behaviour. Floors can be left in this unsavoury state until cleaners come in at the end of the day and endeavour to straighten out the chaos. Cleaners and school support staff talk. They can give the class and teacher a bad name because of how things are left.

(That is not a good look! Neither does it do anything for the reputation of the class or teacher – for cleaners certainly talk amongst themselves and to each other about the state of things they find in classrooms.)

There need to be some basic rules about classroom cleanliness and tidiness. They can be hard to maintain because of the pressure on teachers and students. Nevertheless, it is necessary.

Some suggestions:

. Have children periodically (at least once a week) clean the lockers of residue.

. Undertake the same routine for desks but possibly a little more often. Make sure the children have loose papers fastened into books or folders, as the case might be.

. Have children or students pick up any rubbish from the floor at the end of each session or period. That becomes something done before recess and lunch breaks. If insisted upon, that process becomes “automatic”, a habit many children will undertake without being reminded.

. (Ensure that the above applies equally to older and younger students. Students will sometimes argue that it is not “cool” to pick up after oneself and to keep things tidy. That particular lackadaisical mindset needs to be overcome.)

. Check the children keep refrigerators closed and lunch boxes tidy.

. If children eat lunches in the classroom, ensure that their lunch containers are clean, that they eat their food as they should, and that any genuine rubbish goes into the bin.

. Cupboards and benchtops belong to the whole class. Include these areas in the cleanliness and tidiness drive. It might be appropriate to assign particular students or groups to charge common areas within the classroom. It becomes their responsibility to ensure that tidiness is maintained.

* Make sure that the teacher’s example models to children. Teachers’ tables and work areas need to be kept tidy and organised in the same way as being advocated for children. There is nothing more powerful than a personal example.

. Having students involved in group competitions to reward cleanliness and tidiness is a good idea. Rewards can be extrinsic or intrinsic. Reinforcing the need for positive civic attitudes is essential, and putting physical environmental cleanliness into a competiti