Tired of cleaning up after your students? Finding moldy plastic pudding cups in the desk? Or strewn supplies on the ground?
Follow this weekly cleaning schedule and you’ll feel like you’ve got a magic wand!
First, write these cheesy phrases on the board for each day of the week, and briefly explain to students. The phrases work really well to remind students what to do when they have finished early or during designated cleanup time.
Teacher’s Assistants- designated students who pass out pencils, collect papers, get to stand in line first, go first to lunch, etc. (even eighth graders want to be teacher’s assistant)
Monday- Maturity Monday Act extra mature and behave supremely with impeccable manners. No eyerolling or back talking (EVER but especially on Monday).
Tuesday- Toss ‘Em Tuesday Recycle loose and extra papers you don’t need. Declutter. Go through old files, shred, purge. A little bit every Tuesday goes a long way!
Wednesday- Wipe Down Wednesday Have students wipe down ALL surfaces, bookshelves, desks, chairs, counters, etc. Most of them actually like it. Great for early finishers and kinesthetic kiddos.
Thursday- Throw OUT (not up) Thursday Clean out pencil sharpeners, desks, continue Tuesday recycling binge
Friday- Clean Freak Friday General Clean Up, clean boards, make classroom sparkling for Monday. Have students clean overheads, clean off boards, tidy shelves (just as if an important guest were visiting)
Magic Scrap- Each student picks up 10 items off the ground. You have your eye on a designated scrap or area you want clean. First student who picks it up gets a piece of candy. I also tell them they are disqualified if they show me what they’ve picked up, just like puppy dogs. I have tested on kids in grades 3-8- they love it! You can always have more than 1 magic scrap. Announce if you have more than 1, especially if the classroom floor is really covered with paper scraps, etc. after a science/art project.
