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For our JC1 SL Day on 8th Aug 2022, we worked on the 'SAJC Clean' project.

Our class broke into four groups to clean various parts of the school, including the classrooms, canteen tables and notice boards.

Additionally, we prepared gifts for the cleaners of the school and did a simple interview with them inquiring about their life, struggles of their jobs as well as any thoughts on their work.

From the service learning project, we developed as more empathetic people. Gaining a new perspective of the school, the class saw the school in a new light, noticing the dirty areas in the school we usually bypass. As such, we developed our diligence and observation, realising the awareness we must have to clean the school.

Through listening to the cleaners sharing and helping the cleaners clean the different areas of the school with our classmates, we personally experienced and learnt the importance of serving the school and also through teamwork to serve a greater good. Talking and asking about the cleaners experience and perspectives led us to realise and empathise more with the cleaners and it served as a reminder for us to do our part in keeping our school and surroundings clean, at the same time form meaningful bonds with each other.

There were many things we learnt from organising this project, needing patience and teamwork to ensure that everyone brought what they had and that everyone had a role in their group. Initially it was a struggle to get the class to cooperate since this task was not one we originally wanted. However, everyone quickly warmed up to the task and put in more effort into creating questions and coordinate what we all needed to bring.

We were very grateful for what the cleaners have done for us, especially since we learnt that their feelings towards us are neither hateful nor disgusted, instead very understanding and empathetic, only wanting us to be happy and excel in our studies. This was very heartwarming and made us want to do better to ease their burden, especially since they are mostly elderly and retired. The task of cleaning the first floor was already very tiring and we cannot fully imagine how difficult it must be to clean the whole school with less manpower than our class of 25 people.

Through the service learning project, we learnt more about what the cleaners’ lives are, and we got to go through their daily life. I think it made us better understand their perspectives and after this, we will be much more considerate and cautious of the impacts of our actions and be more careful so that we can make their job easier. It also enabled us to learn about the daily sacrifices that they make to maintain the school’s wellbeing and therefore ours.