Fun with Character: Organization at Work

Make a class assignment for the students to talk to their parents and get tips on how to organize time and space. You can then have students share these tips with each other, either in a class discussion or by the students sharing one a day. You may wish to include questions about how order is important in the careers/jobs of the parents. Where are a surgeon’s tools when they begin an operation? What about a repairman’s tools? How are offices organized? – you can refer to the school office for examples. Set up a tour of the kitchen area in the school cafeteria with the person in charge of that area. Ask for explanations on how food and equipment is organized, labeled, and stored. How do they know food is still good to serve? Why is it bad to store a cleaning product next to a food product or a raw meat product on a shelf above a raw fruit product? Discuss why this order is important for food safety and efficiency. It may not be feasible for the whole class to take the tour so you may have to send a few kids who can take pictures or a video to share with the class. What about touring or sending a group to visit the janitor’s “behind the scenes” area or the nurse’s room?

To process this activity, ask these or similar questions:

• Was it fun to see behind the scenes in some of the places around the school?

• How important was it for these areas to be organized?

• What problems can occur if they are not well organized?

• Can you come up with any jobs where you do not need to be orderly?

• Do you think practicing being orderly now can help you be a better employee later?