How to Ensure Your Learning Environment is Up to Par
Schools have been on the forefront lately due to flu outbreaks that have led to mass vaccinations across the country. This situation could have been avoided if proper sanitation protocols were followed in each school district, as well as dissemination of education on the importance of school cleanliness. In this write-up, we’ll examine the different aspects of cleanliness in a school environment and show how cleanliness can contribute to both student and teacher success.
Most Schools are Germ Incubators
Most schools harbor bacteria, viruses, allergy-causing compounds and parasites due to the simple fact that children come from different homes and congregate in one space to learn. This makes schools perfect breeding grounds for microorganisms that can bring down entire classes if sanitation isn’t taken seriously.
Cleanliness Awareness
The first step in ensuring cleanliness has to do with awareness. This can involve doing a simple check on the school lavatories and drinking fountains to examine how clean or dirty they are. Other places that should be investigated include lockers, gym showers and trash containers. If left neglected, these areas can be the starting point for many bacterial or viral epidemics.
Teaching and Training Plays its Part
It’s not enough to have janitors taking care of school restrooms; some time needs to be allocated to teach students the importance of cleanliness. This teaching can take on various forms depending on the average age of a given classroom. However, it’s important to note that most kids learn and internalize information better if it’s presented in a creative way such as songs or games that involve imitating each other.
Basic Principles to Observe
Basic cleanliness principles such as washing hands with soap and water and proper waste disposal can go a long way in protecting a learning environment from harmful microorganisms. One of the benefits of having a clean school environment has to be diminished absenteeism, one of the major causes of a drop in student performance. If children start practicing cleanliness in school, they won’t fall sick often, meaning that they’ll always be able to make it to school and won’t miss out on the learning process.
The Connection Between Cleanliness and Classroom Focus
Cleanliness also helps both kids and teachers focus better. One of the requirements for effective learning and teaching involves the ability to focus for extended periods of time. In this state of concentration, a teacher is able to impart information in an environment that has little to no distractions; at the same time, kids are able to retain information for longer periods of time, boosting their memory recall when it comes to taking tests and exams. This helps in teacher and student performance in the end.
Cleanliness and Social Cohesion
Classroom and school cleanliness also leads to enhanced social cohesion. Children will avoid playing in a dirty playground which ultimately leads to less social contact with each other, something that weakens a child’s cognitive and communication skills. By having a clean school environment, children will feel comfortable to reach out and play with other kids.
A Community Concern
It’s important to note that school cleanliness should be a community initiative, since children belong to a community that interacts its schools. By passing these skills on to kids and asking them to share them with friends and family, cleanliness becomes holistic and something that everyone gets involved in for the benefit of the environment and community as a whole.
Steve Caylor is a cooling tower designer and technician that works in the government sector. In his spare time he likes to blog, sharing his thought and tips on a range of eco and environmental blogs. Visit Tecomak for environmental ventilation services.
