Responsibility and Respect

Many people are likely to be familiar with Japanese words such as Bushido (literally, “the way of the warrior”) and jūdō (literally, “gentle way”). But what about sōjidō, or “the way of cleaning?” It’s based on a so-called ōsōji (big cleanup), this ritual is traditionally performed at the end of the year, which offers households an opportunity to reset and begin the new year fresh. In a case of a classroom it applies to starting every day and week fresh. In our current time with juggling school, sports activities and adult careers, kids sometimes have a hard time realizing that the food being served was not cooked by magic, their clean clothes were not folded by a ghost, and that at one point in their life, they will also be responsible for their environment. Getting students involved in maintaining their environment will develop a work ethic. It will help them realize that tasks such as cleaning their desk, floor and cafeteria after lunch time, for example, will require some effort on their own. This teaches them independence and respect for the work of others. We do believe that respecting someone else’s work is easier when you have performed that work yourself.