Let me paint you a picture. At the end of the day, after all the classes are finished, my quite and orderly students put bandanas (手ぬぐい tenugui --> Japanese bandanas) around their heads, roll up their sleeves and sit quietly along the walls of the hallway outside their classrooms. The person at the head of the line shouts '黙想' (mokusou --> meditate) and everyone lowers their heads to think about the meaning of cleaning. After they are told to stand up, everyone quietly shuffles off to their designated cleaning places and the cleaning commenses. The ones designated to clean the classroom, knowing their jobs, start to sweep or erase or get water to wipe the floor. Everything is finished in 15 minutes, and if early, they do a little extra detailed cleaning. When the 15 minute bell rings the school is practically shining from the diligent cleaning it receives day after day. Too bad that isn't reality.

The reality is more like this... At the end of the day, after all the classes are finished, about three-quaters of my noisy and disorderly students put bandanas around their heads, roll up their sleeves and sit or squat talking along the walls of the hallway outside their classrooms. The person at the head of the line shouts '黙想' (mokusou --> meditate), then '静かにしてください' (shizuka ni shitekudasai --> please be quite), and finally '黙れ' (damare --> shut up) before everyone is quite and lowers their heads to think about the meaning of why they have to clean the stupid school. After they are told to stand up, everyone instantly starts talking and slowly meandering toward their designated cleaning places and the cleaning commences about five minutes late. The ones designated to clean the classroom, knowing their jobs, start to lightly brush the broom across the floor or erase or in pairs skipping and swinging the bucket to get water to wipe the floor. Everything is finished in 15 minutes or so, and if early... there's no such thing as early; finished is finished. When the 15 minute bell rings the school is slightly cleaner than is was after lunch even though it receives cleaning day after day.

I've heard the Nagano Prefecture is particularly strict about cleaning time. Apparently other prefectures don't make the students clean quietly. While I'm in favor of the kids cleaning their school, they don't do a very good job and the dust piles up quickly. Though I now clean to the best of my ability along with the students, I'm sure if I were put in their position, I would probably do just about the same. I've yet to meet a kid who genuinely likes cleaning.