Developing Social Responsibility

On Sunday, my family and I braved the Olympic crowds in Vancouver to get a first hand look at some of the images we have been seeing on TV.  One of the things that struck me as we wandered through the mass of humanity was how responsible everyone was.  It is said that patience is a virtue and it was certainly shown during our time in Vancouver and in particular with the more than 1000 walk-on passengers at the ferry.

This got me thinking about the monthly virtue focus we have here at David Cameron.  There has been much research about the ineffectiveness of specific, focused, anti-bullying and character education programs.  I tend to agree with the research to the extent that teaching a particular program is not very effective.  I do think however, that raising the awareness and providing a focus for how we want to live together in our social context is important.  These ideas and values are translated into action everyday on our school playground (and in the streets of Vancouver).  At David Cameron it is more than learning about the virtues it is an expectation from everyone; students, parents, and staff, that this is how we behave together.

The other day we were having a conversation with our staff about respect at our school.  We were talking about the many examples of it that we see on a daily basis, but the most compelling evidence was that we can have over 340 students go out to play at recess and lunch and behave respectfully and responsibly towards each other.  This is our focus in action and is demonstrated not in completing worksheets from a program binder, but in our daily interactions and use of our many virtues.