Dear Parent and Carers,

This week at St Benedict’s we have been talking with the children about Respect – Respect for Self, Respect for Others, Respect for Our Belongings and Respect for our Surroundings.

Respect comes from the Latin word “respectus” that means attention, regard to consideration. The first thing to realise as humans is that the word “respect” is about more than behaviour. Respect is the feeling of admiration toward someone because of who they are or what they have accomplished. Respect is not the same as good manners, although displaying good manners can be a sign of respect. Rather, respect is an inner feeling about a person that is displayed through kind words and actions on a regular basis.

Respect is one of the most important virtues a child can have. Teaching children how to respect others will ensure they develop positive relationships with their family, friends, and teachers throughout their life. Respect can be taught in many ways, but ultimately, it’s about ensuring children lead a happy life and treat other people kindly.

Below are some of the most important traits a child can gain from learning the virtue of respect.

Good manners
Teaching children good manners might seem difficult, especially at a young age. However, good manners stem from respect. Saying a simple “please” and “thank you” can go a long way and, with practice, these gestures can become natural to a child. By practicing manners, a child will learn that all relationships benefit from give and take.

Tolerance
A child is bound to face conflict throughout their life. While they might not always agree or understand what’s being said or done, teaching them respect will ensure they do their best to address conflict in a productive way. Teaching a child respect will allow them to communicate in a way that is effective and also will encourage them to take responsibility for their own mistakes, and better tolerate the mistakes of others.

Listening
Listening is an important part of having a productive or positive conversation. Learning how to communicate effectively means knowing how to listen, and this can be taught by understanding the importance of respect. We need to show a child how to listen intently, not interrupt and take their turn in order to help them better engage conversationally with others. This will also help the child to better understand rules and avoid conflicts.

Open-minded
Teaching children respect ensures they will get to know a person before making a snap judgement. This behaviour will help them throughout their entire life, and ensures they treat everyone with kindness. As well, for some children, diversity is a hard concept to understand. However, teaching children respect at an early age ensures they accept everyone for who they are.

For all children, learning respect takes time, but it’s never too early to start practicing this essential life skill. Ultimately, teaching children respect will help them to create more positive relationships with their family and friends. 

It is also vital that we teach children respect for their belongings and surroundings. So often at the end of a session, end of break or end of a day we find the children’s personal belongings scattered around the classroom and playground. Many have the expectation that someone will pick it up and return it to them. Likewise, they will leave rubbish behind for someone else to take care of. We must work with our students to value their belongings and surroundings, by teaching them to be independent, responsible, and respectful of their belongings and environment.

Thank you for your ongoing care and partnership in your child’s learning.

Stay safe and healthy.

God bless.

Rachel Smith
Principal