I was delighted to read Oliver Allison’s (Yr 12) Thought for the Term entry from last week on respect. I teach Oliver and I can safely say that he is a very respectful young man who is a credit to himself and the communities he represents.

So, this got me reflecting on why my opinion of Oliver (and many others across SBS & DGS) is that of respect. For me, it relates to the fact that many understand that respect is a skill. One that we have to be taught, reflect on and practise to become innately respectful. It’s not a given – some people can never manage it; some communities never manage it.

As with many things, it starts from an early age. We talk to young children about playing appropriately with one another, not grabbing toys from others, sharing our ice cream, respecting personal space. Within that there is also a sense of consistency, trust and manners that we learn over time. Of course, it’s not something that stops when we “grow up”. All of us have a responsibility to think about how we can be more respectful.

In a world where the news often sensationalises, gossip on social media is prevalent and disrespect is apparently TV entertainment, what draws me back to a better community are my experiences of the young people I meet every day. The students who understand that the world is not all about oneself and that we try to be better people every day.

The reality of school life and society is that we are all unique individuals with our own experiences, thoughts and feelings. The ability to think for ourselves is at the core of being a human; we are different, but not so different. With so many different viewpoints, some communities suffer. But there are things that bind us together and one of these is respect.

Communities that are successful have respect at their core, they are outward facing and thoughtful, they put themselves in the shoes of others and consider the impact of their actions, and they listen. This is my experience of DGS & SBS. Our aim for all of our students is that they continue to be taught respect, that we model respect, and that students reflect often, so that the communities they are a part of now and in the future are tolerant, open minded and respectful.