ORDER FROM CHAOS

How NOT to start off a good school day:  walk into our homeschool classroom to see this:

    Or this:

And yes, that IS a severed hand amidst the Latin books, a holdover from our All Saint's party, where one of the boys dressed as St. Isaac Jogues.

I am instantly cranky when this happens and am NOT inspired to teach the good, the true, and definitely NOT the beautiful.  I mean, please look, just look at the carpet:

I've attempted many things over the years to inspire cleanliness, but each year it's gotten a little harder.  We've tried straightening up right before we begin our school prayers in the morning, but all that does is delay our start ... one cleaning project leads to another and another, and we're exhausted before we begin actual lessons.  And not only that, I still start the day by walking into the mess!  So then I tried adding "Tidy up School Room" to our afternoon chore list, and each day a different kid tackled it.  But our afternoons are so crazy ... usually we're barely squeezing our last subject in (or just skipping it altogether - that's why my kids' science test scores stink!) before the mad dash in the minivan to choir, football, soccer, yada yada yada.  Wasn't working.

To add to the mayhem, this year we reached our maximum capacity in the homeschool classroom:  4 students, one teacher, one 2-year old, and a mountain of books.  (And yes, kids, cuz I know you're reading this, much of the mess does come from her.)  But the fact remains that Mom is happier with order around her, and everyone knows that Happy Mom=Happy Students and a Good School Day.  Sooo, instead of nagging and griping, I was inspired to conduct Desk Inspections ... which includes their cubby holes, shelves and the floor around their desks.  If I find their area suitable, they will discover a Super Clean Desk Award on their desktops, along with some kind of prize.  (It doesn't work without the prize, folks, so don't be cheap!)  Might be a pack of gum, or some toy I found on clearance, or most coveted of all, a box of movie theater candy.  (You know, those boxes of Skittles or Sour Patch Kids or Snowcaps that you can get for under a $1 at WalMart)

If their area is a trash heap -- see above -- they get nothing.  Now I'm not saying miracles happened or anything, but I can tell you that all I have to do is mention that there might be a desk inspection sometime soon, and a flurry of frantic cleaning ensues.  I might do one a week, or 3 a week, or wait for a month to go by.  Sometimes they're random, sometimes they're announced, sometimes I just happen to let slip that I got some new candy on clearance ...

I've included a template that so you can make your own.  It works in my homeschool classroom, and I see no reason why it wouldn't work in a regular classroom for cubbyholes or lockers.  I have a set of four that I re-use, just in case I have four winners at once - a very rare occasion because I am picky.  Print out on card stock, laminate, and have fun inspecting.  Results guaranteed.


Your Catholic Teacher's Friend,