In English there is an expression: “Go the extra mile”. It is used when someone makes an extra effort to do a good job. For example, the taxi driver who makes sure their passenger is safely inside their home before driving away, the neighbor who shovels snow for an elderly neighbor, or the business that checks in with customers to see if they are happy after the sale.

The opposite of this is called “doing the bare minimum”. If someone does the bare minimum, they only do what is asked of them. They do not look around and solve other problems. For example, the student who studies only enough to pass, or the child who moves their garbage under their bed rather than cleaning their room.

So, look at this picture. This is the division between building 1 and building 2 at school. During cleaning time at our school, one group of students are supposed to clean the left side, and another group of students are supposed to clean the right. What about the part in the middle? It is not clear who is supposed to clean that area. And, as a result, it is dirty everyday.

Every day I look at this spot, and everyday I wonder why nobody “goes the extra mile” during cleaning time to bring a cloth and wipe this spot. Don’t we all want a nice clean school? I want to challenge our students to look around them, see a problem, and go the extra mile to solve them. I think that would help make our school a better.place.

Have a wonderful day,

Allen