The announcement of students’ jobs on the first class of the week is perhaps the most anticipated moment at Roots. At our opening circle, we look at the job board together and read which student has which job for the week. The Douglas Firs and Aspens rotate through five roles, with each role having a substitute. These jobs are: handwash helper, snack set-up, snack server, cup collector, and forest sweeper. The Tamarack and Ponderosa Pine classes also have a forest reporter.
In the 4/5 classes the forest reporter helps us start class by pointing at the words in our daily message with the reporting stick as the class reads aloud together. The reporter then helps us interpret the picture of the day; it may be a mountain and a lake, a bird flying, or an evergreen tree.
The students love helping each other wash their hands before we eat snack. The handwash helper scoops water for each of the students at the handwashing bucket. Students take turns washing their hands before sitting down for snack.
The person in charge of snack set-up then sets out our three waste buckets: one each for worm compost, chicken scraps, and garbage. They may also pass out a cup or paper towel for each student’s snack food.
The snack server must practice fine motor skills as well as self-restraint. They go around the snack table using a scoop or tongs to serve pretzels, apples, or whatever is on the menu. As they go around they ask each classmate, “Would you like an orange?” They serve themselves last and sit down to eat once everyone else has been served.
Once people are finished eating, the cup collector stacks all the snack cups and makes sure the snack area is clean.
When the flute blows to signal the end of class, students know to put all the tools in the classroom away neatly. The forest sweeper performs a final check for stray items in each of our play areas while holding the special forest sweeper broom.
Students take much pride in taking on these roles and, in the process, learn to care for each other as well as our classroom and our materials.
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