Going to school as a child, there were many classes (other than the four basics; Math, Science, English, and Social Studies) which taught children different skills. Music, art, drama and even gym taught kids how to excel in certain areas. Since these weren’t mandatory classes, we got to choose which electives we were most interested in. Many of those classes paid off for people I went to school with in terms of what they ended up doing for a career, and some just for a hobby (like sports and music for me).

In Japan, they have come up with another lesson in school which everyone should learn about…..cleaning. Soji no jikan, or, “The cleaning time”, is a 15 minute period after lunch in which the students and teachers put on caps, grab their rags, brooms and dustpans and clean the classrooms. There is even “cleaning music” to make it more enjoyable.

While some people may say it seems a little rough to make children clean while at school, I’m sure they would have a change of heart when their child cleaned up after themselves after a meal or playing with their toys without having to be told several times. I know my mother probably would have fainted if she came home from work and saw me holding a broom sweeping up as a child.

So, should the United States think about possibly following suit and set aside 15 minutes a day to teach our children a little extra work ethic, cleanliness and respect? Leave a comment and let us know how you feel on the subject.