October’s Virtue – Respect
As we head into the last stretch of the month, we would like to share some of the ways students have come up with to show ‘respect’ each day and things we have spent time discussing in class:
Respect Yourself
Get a good night’s sleep; take regular bathes or showers; brush your teeth; eat healthy foods; wear a helmet on a bike and a seat belt in the car; and dress for the weather.
Respect Other People
Clean up a mess (whether it is yours or not); include someone that might be alone; do the work that your teacher assigns; look at someone when they are talking; listen to others when they have something to say; care about other people’s feelings and see what you can do to help; learn about things that other people think are important; think of how someone else might feel when you are “rude, sassy, sarcastic or mean”; use strategies like counting to ten or keeping comments to yourself when you’re mad or upset instead of lashing out; walk quietly in the halls; do not push or shove when walking down the hall, getting ready to leave a learning space, or heading into the school.
Respect Differences
Treat all people with respect; discuss how different doesn’t mean bad or wrong; learn more about people that may not be like you (could be related to skin colour, race, religion, clothing, hair colour, etc.); remember that the ways we are different make us interesting.
Use Good Manners
Say please, thank you, excuse me, may I, etc.; smiling at someone who passes; offer to help someone who looks like they need it; open a door for someone; clean up after yourself at lunch and snack; push chairs in when at your desk, table, learning commons, out front of the office, etc.; and show eating behaviours that are respectful like chewing with your mouth closed and keeping your food in your own space.
Respect Property
Take care of computers and technology; take care of communal supplies, school supplies, or desk spaces; only take what you need and use what you take; clean up in the bathroom (toilet paper in the toilet, flushing, paper towel in the compost bin, not locking doors, doing your ‘business’ in a clean way as intended, etc.); don’t vandalize; and be gentle and respectful of items in the outdoor learning space.
Respect Nature and Other Living Things
Leave animals that are on the playground or in the park alone; don’t throwing rocks or sticks at animals or birds; leave the bark and branches of trees alone; and pick up garbage.
