All staff and volunteers with the Foothills School Division will take an on-line course to promote respect in school.
Foothills announced Thursday at Heritage Heights School it is the first division in Canada to have its entire staff and volunteers who work with students on a consistent basis take either the Respect in School or Respect in Sport program.
Former Calgary Flame Sheldon Kennedy, a MD of Foothills resident, co-founded the program with former Rocky View Schools trustee Wayne McNeil.
The on-line program deals with identifying and prevention of bullying, abuse and neglect.
“The most important thing is we aren’t just helicoptering in and saying: ‘Here take this,’” Kennedy said. “The whole division has bought in – teachers, bus drivers, volunteers. Their members want to take it.”
He said the goal is thinking about how individuals are treating and talking to children.
“The reality is we want to create an atmosphere, where kids want to show up to school on a daily basis and they want to participate,” Kennedy said. “If they show up with a smile on their faces, they want to learn.”
He said the division already has an excellent relationship with students and participating in the program is an indication of the division’s progressive thinking.
“The program is not about pointing fingers, it’s to educate,” Kennedy said after playing a friendly game of Tri-ball at Heritage Heights School on Thursday. “For me, I am far from the perfect person… The whole goal is about progress, not perfection. Let’s keep learning on how to handle these decisions.”
He said adults are being asked how to properly handle a difficult situation, ranging from teasing or bad sportsmanship to a child being physically abused.
“Right now, there is a lot of ‘Oh my God, how do I handle this?’” Kennedy said. “The goal is to give organizations and parents the confidence to deal with it… You could be the best teacher or coach in the world, but who knows what a child is bringing in from their home life. If you are a good coach or teacher the odds of a kid opening up to them is pretty good. So they better be prepared on how they are going to handle it.”
Kennedy was a sexual abuse victim while playing Junior hockey. His courage in speaking about the abuse led to the arrest of his former coach Graham James who was convicted of abusing Kennedy and another player when the boys were teenagers.
Now Kennedy’s focus is to help prevent youths from being victimized in the future.
Coaches in Okotoks minor hockey and lacrosse programs are required to take the Respect in Sport program. Jeff Mason, a physical education teacher at Heritage Heights, has taken the 2.5-hour Respect in Sport program through Okotoks minor hockey.
Even though he has been a teacher and coach for 19 years, he said the program helped him.
“It makes you stop and assess what you are doing — am I doing the right thing? What can I do differently and what can I do better,” Mason said. “I think I am pretty aware, but sometimes, you can get so focused on winning you forget how you are treating kids.”
Mason said the program is all inclusive.
“It’s all encompassing, how adults treat kids, how kids are treating adults and how kids are treating kids,” he said. “It makes you think about your tactics.”
Heritage Heights principal Dinah Shortt said the program also provides a reference point – it can help remove the emotion and personal aspect when dealing with an issue ranging from bullying to unsportsmanlike behaviour.
The Grade 5 students playing basketball with Kennedy showed plenty of respect for their teammates and their opponents during the game. They do get it.
“I think bullying is really bad, because it hurts people’s feeling,” said student Cyerra Comm.
Student Payton Price said it is still good to be competitive in sports, but one still has to be nice to other people.
“Just don’t get overly competitive,” Price said. “Sometimes adults will try to encourage them by saying stuff like: ‘Oh you didn’t do that’ and things like that.”
Student Tanner Young said he regrets teasing someone a few years ago.
“I don’t remember exactly what I did, but I felt really bad,” he said. “I won’t do it again.”
Members of the Foothills School Division administration and Alberta Finance Minister Ted Morton attended the celebration of the Respect in School program being introduced to Foothills schools.
Morton congratulated the division on its progressive thinking in adopting the program.
