Respecting each other beyond Respect Day

This year’s Respect Day was a great start for reminding students to respect others despite their differences.

Krinal Thakkar, Staff Writer

During Hoffman Estates High School’s Respect Day, students had the opportunity to sign an oath, promising to respect peers with special needs. There was even a piece of candy to encourage students to do the right thing: treat others with respect. Candy is a wonderful incentive, but it should not be the only motivation for students to be respectful to others.

“It makes me mad that all of us need a reward to participate in these things, whether it be signing that oath or joining Best Buddies,” said Aratrika Ganguli, junior.

Ganguli said she struggles to understand why individuals might need candy to be part of these activities. It could be that individuals simply get used to talking to the people they already know.

“We have created boundaries that really don’t exist,” said Dr. Heidi Davey, English teacher. Perhaps students separate themselves from those individuals with special needs because they have grown used staying in their comfort zone.

The key is see a day like Respect Day as just the start. Students can interact on a day like that but then continue to seek opportunities to interact during the remaining 364 days.

“We have to make an effort to cross these boundaries, these boxes that we have made,” said Davey.

Respect Day is a great first step, but individuals have to continue to erase artificial boundaries more than one day a year.

Saul Perez, a sophomore at HEHS, already sees past boundaries and has built relationships with special needs students through his work with the United Soccer program.

“You never really get to interact with [students with special needs in school],” said Perez. “When you are on the field, playing soccer with them, you really get to know them.”