Some children don’t make the connection between respect for school property and personal consequences, but the two have a strong link. The school belongs to the student as much as it belongs to the faculty. When a child disrespects her school, she is hurting herself and those around her.

Self Respect

The state of the educational tools and school grounds reflect the quality of students and faculty in a school. If your school has graffiti tags and damaged books, it will show that the students of that school don’t care about their education. They are more interested in pointless acts of destruction than using the tools provided by the school to better themselves and pursue a well-rounded education.

Conserving Resources

Students may have a hard time understanding that school property doesn’t magically replenish itself. The damage a student causes may require money for repairs, something many schools have a severe lack of already. This puts the school in a tight spot and may force administrators to recycle damaged educational tools until they receive a new influx of funding. For example, if a student pulls the pages out of an education text, the next student to receive that book may have to work around the damage because the school doesn’t have an extra book for him.

Backlash

When you damage school property, you run the risk of punishment. The school may report the incident to your parents, which can result in a hefty bill for damages. The instance can also go in your record, leaving a stain on your school career and credibility. While the fear of punishment may seem like a selfish reason to respect school property, it is often enough of a deterrent to help children learn respect and encourage parents to teach it.

Comfort

Schools should be a comfortable safe haven for children to accrue knowledge. When a student lacks respect for school property, it can bring the quality of life in the school down. For example, leaving litter around the school grounds can make the place seem uncomfortable and cluttered. It also poses a safety threat. Other students can slip on the litter and injure themselves. Carving derogatory words and symbols into school property can also make a student who inherits use of the property uncomfortable when they discover the defacement.

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