![]() Reconciliation is also a big part, and that’s not just saying ‘sorry’. “It may be that there’s something missing in that little person’s life and we work hard to help them acknowledge their behaviour and take the opportunity to change their approach. (Johnson does not like using the term bully, and prefers to deal with each student without slotting them into a category.) We don’t leave it to one special day a year to get that message across.”Īs one might expect, no amount of values discussions will ever eliminate bullying entirely and when it happens, Johnson comes at the situation by trying to understand what is happening in the bully’s life. “We have regular assemblies all year long where we talk about values and emphasize the value of kindness, respect, and honesty. ![]() Those principles are based on teaching the children that it’s important to consider what kind of person they want to be, even when no one is watching. “We emphasize kindness – the Golden Rule – but also acknowledge that, if that fails, then everyone will stand together to support the principles that we believe in.” “It’s certainly an emotionally charged day (and story) but for us there are two messages that we take from the whole thing,” Johnson said. By the end of the week most of the students were wearing pink, and the bullies got the message that their behaviour wouldn’t be tolerated.īut the day and the message of standing up to bullies represents only part of the school’s approach to create a safe environment at Saseenos, Johnson said. Other students saw the bullying and responded by wearing pink shirts themselves. It all started in 2007 when a student in Nova Scotia was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. The students here really get behind the message of Pink Shirt Day and we’ll see them wearing pink and showing their support for the concepts that are at the root of the day,” Johnson said.īut what that message is has shifted over the years. 26, Saseenos Elementary School principal Gord Johnson anticipates the school will be a sea of pink.
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