Children studying in The Grove School in Totnes, England, are being taught respect in a very practical way: they are vacuuming their classrooms.
The primary school purchased the cordless vacuums to improve the children’s character, following a model of Japanese education.
Head teacher Hilary Priest wrote, “Your children may talk about the class hoover and being on a [rotation] to use it at the end of each school day (Japanese style). This is to encourage the children to respect their classroom space and tidy up after themselves as well as help Peter our caretaker with his managing to keep on top of a very full building.”
The students whose ages are from 4 to 11, have shown an interest in the tasks and it has also helped the school keep its cleaning budget down.
The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton has been pictured hugging children who line up to see her, and she says, “Hugs are very important,” and adds, “Spending quality time together is such an important aspect of family life, and for me, as a mother, it’s the simple family moments like playing outside together that I cherish.”
Students line up at the table and choose which one they would like to receive, the main student welcomes each one in his preferred manner.
At the end of the day, the same thing is repeated and the schedule is rotated so that each child has an opportunity to give and receive affection in his own preferred way.
