You’re sitting with your friends at lunch, when it’s suddenly time to go to class. As you are leaving the table, you see the plates and cups left behind, but decide not to pick it up because somebody else will eventually come by. 

This has been a common problem that I’ve seen happen here on campus throughout the school day. Some students are not even thinking twice about leaving their trash behind because they know that somebody will come around and pick it up for them.

I believe that people need to start picking up after themselves anytime they make a mess anywhere. There is a misconception that leaving behind a messy space isn’t really a big deal, but it really is. Cleaning up after yourself, even if it’s something small, can make a big difference and impact. “But there are people working there for a reason,” you may say, but that shouldn’t stop you from completing something that you learned as a child: cleaning up after yourself and your mess.

We are blessed to attend a school like this one, and it’s disappointing to me that many students can’t even clean up after themselves. Small things like this lead you to learn valuable life lessons for the future. When you’re an adult, nobody will be there to follow you around and pick up your mess, that’s all on you. Nobody here is above anyone because truly, we are all human beings. That being said, leaving your mess for the maintenance staff to pick up is unnecessary and demonstrates ungratefulness and negligence. The staff should not be having to clean up a whole table where many students were sitting because they simply “didn’t feel like picking up.” 

Respect is something that is earned within people. Students should have respect for those who work every day to keep the school clean. How do we expect faculty and staff to respect us if we can’t even clean up what we ate for lunch? Small changes go a big way, and one piece of trash behind creates a cycle. It’s your responsibility to clean up after yourself. We are capable of going to the nearest trash can and disposing of anything that belonged to you. It isn’t the staff’s job to follow you around and pick up your trash.