Keeping the Germs Out!

This year, I've only had 2 kids out because of the flu/stomach bug. Only 2! My partner teacher had 4 that was out, while the other teacher had a whopping 5 out last week. I am wondering if what I'm doing is working.

So, two years ago, I decided my janitor shouldn't have to really come into my room that much. I decided that my kids would be in charge of our classroom. They clean the room everyday. They sweep, wipe the floors, clean the boards, clean the sink, and even brush off the classroom rug. Once a week we do a disinfectant day, which I think might have helped keep my kids at school (which keeps them learning!)

Have you gotten this flu/strep/virus thing that's been going around? I haven't...yet...I've been struggling breathing.

Down here in the South, we struggle anyways because of the amount of constant humidity...but this winter it's been a roller coaster of temperatures. By now we would have had nearly 8 school days out for snow, instead their are districts closing down for the flu! Yesterday, it got down to the mid 30s, and tomorrow's high is 70! My sinuses are dying... like they are ROCK hard.

It made me wonder, what do you do to keep germs out of the classroom?


Years ago, I had read an article that talked about how Japanese schools don't normally employ janitors because the students do most of the cleaning. What an idea! I mean they make most of the mess, they make a bigger mess because they don't have to clean it. Why not give it a try?


Here is what I do...

We have a Lysol day. We take Lysol or Clorox wipes and everyone cleans. We start with our tables (EVEN UNDER THE TABLES--gross) and chairs. They throw those away and clean their cubbies and backpacks. Then we divide and conquer. Some kids clean the bean bags, some clean the door handles, some clean the common areas and counters, some clean the sink handles, some clean the markers. Then there is one child--you know who to pick-- you tell to wipe off everything they have touched that day. 🤣

You can even pick up some Lysol wipes from Amazon pretty cheap right now! (They have a $2.50 coupon to apply!) Check out this affiliate link to get yours today.
I noticed that our vents haven't been changed a while at school. I'm wondering if I should climb up there and unscrew it to give it a cleaning and change the filter myself. I'm sure that's a part of the air quality in my room.

What do you do to keep out the germs? Leave a comment below to tell what is working in your room!