To Greet or Not To Greet

Students, who spend more than 35 hours per week at school, regularly cross paths with school cleaners without greeting them.

It is unknown how this custom started among students⁠—to think it is perfectly fine to habitually ignore the existence of those who constantly help us. It has become such a normal thing to do so, that the problem has never crossed our minds, leaving students to disregard cleaners without questioning their social economic difference.

Everyday, cleaners are given the responsibility to keep the entire school in a suitable environment for learning. This may not sound like much, but considering how much trash and puddles of spilled drinks students leave unattended around the school, cleaners are required to consistently sweep, mop, and wipe the mess students leave behind.

"The busiest time of the day is definitely in the morning and when students go home," said Sri, a cleaner stationed on the third floor of Building A, ”that’s when we have to clean all the classes.”

Although conventional, most of us do not even have a clear reason behind the ignorant gesture. Some are simply following unwritten social codes among their peers, some may argue that cleaners are undeserving of friendly hellos due to a lack of connection, while some may blame their different positions in the social hierarchy.

“We just don’t care. We don’t have any connections with them, so why should we greet them? They’re paid to do their jobs and they have other cleaners as friends anyway.” asserted Ciana Bellvania, a grade 11 student.

However, this is not a problem for teachers, as most of them do not find it difficult to regularly greet cleaners in the morning. This raises the possibility that the matter might be related to social maturity, which generally increases with age.

“I always greet cleaners whenever I see them,” said Ms. Nova, the Bahasa and history teacher, "Aside from academics, I think students have to learn to grow in the social aspect of life. We have to show respect and appreciation to them."

Even though it may feel difficult to greet cleaners, who we have so little in common with, but it may help to remember that they are people working for a living. So, the next time you come across a cleaner while walking to your homeroom class, consider brightening someone’s day by saying “good morning”, to express gratitude and respect.