Chores that Build Character

Many consider a boarding school to be their home away from home. Just like living at home, students have chores at school. In the past, we have called it Work Assignment, but this year the title changed to ‘Chores.’ 

The idea of students helping is not new, in fact Japanese schools have been doing it for decades. The belief is that they teach responsibility, respect, and equality. Why litter when you know you, or a friend, will have to clean it up later?

For dinner on the first day of school, the first-year students gathered in the dining hall at 6 to learn about a rite of passage at MSSM, Dish Duty. After a short explanation by Executive Director, Rob Constantine, they saw a demonstration of some things that are done in the dishwasher room. 

Dining Hall duty is not just for first years. In fact, two 2nd year students chose to wipe tables after dinner as their chore. Sophomore Riley Shean said, “I do chores at home, so it makes sense I would have chores here.” From a nearby table, Sophomore Yilin Zhang added, “And MSSM is like home to us!”

There are many other types of chores available, but most of those go to non-first-year students. Some teachers have assistants who may do tasks that do not involve privacy or grades, such as cleaning lab equipment. A highly sought-after chore is the Residential Assistant for seniors or the Tutor role for those who did exceptionally well in a subject and are skilled in sharing information.

Chores are planned such that they never interfere with academics. Dish Duty students will go in before meals and then after meals to both help prepare and help clean. Dorm and Academic Building cleaning students work when classes are finished, and lab assistants come in between classes when teachers are available. 

No one loves doing chores, even at home, but just like at home, these chores add a sense of ownership and help strengthen our community bond.