Safety First

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The pole was 20 feet high. Even though her student was harnessed and seemed to have followed the instructions, Faiza Fahim, OCT, wanted to do one more check. Just to be safe.

Fahim, an ESL teacher at Toronto's Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute, had taken students to an outdoor centre for some team building and fun. Staff there had explained the rules and taken all precautions. For more peace of mind, Fahim had brought along a former ESL student to help translate. She knows you can never be too careful about student well-being.

Now, before this one student was ready to climb the pole, Fahim asked if he was nervous. No, he assured, he could handle this. Then he admitted something else: what really made him nervous was presenting in class. New to Canada, the school system, the language and his classmates, he worried about how he'd come across. Whenever a presentation is coming, he told Fahim, he can't sleep for days.

The conversation reminded her that safety means different things at different times. Sometimes fear and embarrassment can be as damaging in their own way as an injury. Physical safety is paramount. But safety for students encompasses the social and emotional as well. "Are students seen and heard? Is there an atmosphere of trust? For me, safety is having an inclusive environment," says Fahim.

For teachers, it's critical to identify an unsafe learning situation, respond when you see one, and minimize risks in the first place. The College's professional advisory Safety in Learning Environments: A Shared Responsibility outlines the expectations.

Questions of safety infuse conversations in education daily and touch every setting. Think of just some of the threats: bullying in the schoolyard; broken bones on the playground; food allergies in the cafeteria; fires in the science lab; concussions on the sports field; accidents with equipment; intruders in the school; mishaps on field trips; and unsupportive classrooms.

There are more, and teachers are essential safeguards. "Recognizing student vulnerability and acting to mitigate it is your professional responsibility," states the advisory.

It helps to look at safety in the broadest sense. Take COVID, obviously a major safety concern this past year - and not only in the most apparent ways.

Teachers have played a key role in modelling best practices, ensuring students maintain masking and keeping cohorts apart. Those are the basics, says Isabelle Boulerice-Leblanc, OCT. She's just as focused on other COVID-related safety needs.

"A lot of kids are struggling with anxiety," says Boulerice-Leblanc, a resource teacher at École élémentaire publique De la Riviere Castor in Embrun, Ont., 30 minutes southeast of Ottawa.

Students hear about people dying, know the virus is invisible, and have seen their routines upended. To Boulerice-Leblanc, safety means helping students cope and offering tips to relieve stress.

Another requirement is creating an environment where students feel safe to make mistakes. "We should have a judgment-free zone," she says.

Michelle Finn, OCT, agrees. She teaches religion, humanities and social sciences at Bishop Reding Catholic Secondary School in Milton, Ont. After marking assignments and providing feedback, Finn gives her Grade 12 students the chance to resubmit the work.

"It's a growth mindset; you can make mistakes and learn from them," says Finn. "That lowers the anxiety level for the students." Does anxiety pose a safety risk? "Absolutely," she says.

Reducing that risk needn't be complex. Consider the ESL student who was apprehensive about a presentation. To support students feeling anxious, Fahim teaches students how to be good audience members: supportive, attentive and aware of how their behaviour can affect someone.

She also encourages strategies that can alleviate stress. If a student has trouble making eye contact, Fahim might suggest they give classmates pictures or props to look at during a presentation. Just so all eyes aren't on them. And instead of having presenters answer queries on the spot, nerve-wracking for some, Fahim asks the class to write down questions or comments; then the presenter can think them over and address them the next day.

"While we may not be able to alleviate stress altogether for students, we can give them strategies to make a learning task more approachable," says Fahim.

Knowing health and safety protocols is fundamental too, as is grasping the wide range of hazards.

"It's all about prevention," says Andrea McCullagh, OCT, a Grade 1 teacher at École élémentaire publique Cité Jeunesse in Trenton, Ont.

Fire drills and lockdown drills are part of it, but so is everyday diligence. What could pose a danger? Scissors, a folding step stool, the hot water tap - just about anything depending on the circumstances, says McCullagh. She scans her room through a child's eyes and knows her students well enough to glean who's at higher risk.

That includes sensing tension in the classroom, or when some students are having a more challenging time. In those instances, she might have everyone take a breathing or body movement break.

"The atmosphere is a huge factor. If the children think of your classroom as a safe space, physically and emotionally, you've succeeded as a teacher," says McCullagh.

It's also vital to understand whom to call if a student is injured, ill or endangered, says Boulerice-Leblanc. For example, she knows of a six-year-old student who said they wanted to die. A social worker was contacted, the parents were notified, and the student received professional help.

Other physical threats are easily defined. For instance, as a high school science teacher, Leila Knetsch, OCT, knows the hazards of chemicals and flammability. "I put lots of thought into setting up the lab," says Knetsch, who teaches Grades 9-12 at Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute in Toronto.

She runs through mandatory safety rules with her students at the beginning of a class, and ensures they follow some preventative procedures; like keeping stoppers on test tubes, and turning Bunsen burners off between uses.

Knetsch is also attuned to the relative skills and knowledge of different grade levels. She says accidents can happen when teachers overestimate the abilities or the amount of common sense students possess.

Many substances in a lab can pose a danger. The way students are grouped can be a volatile mix too. In dividing her class of 30 into groups, Finn tries for a healthy balance to create a safe space for sharing. She asks students to privately list three classmates they'd want, and ensures one is grouped with them. She also asks them who wouldn't be a good fit.

Finn assembles the groups like a jigsaw puzzle. That exercise is essential, she says. You want to avoid a situation where a student might be shut down or teased by a classmate, or where personality clashes could derail co-operation.

Knetsch, too, knows mental well-being is a big aspect of safety. "That part is harder. You don't always know what students are thinking and feeling," she says.

She is intentional about creating a considerate and co-operative atmosphere. During group activities, she'll set a timer so students can take turns talking. That eliminates certain students dominating the air space, and sends a message. "It allows for respect, and shows that everybody has something to say," she says.

Respect is a safety cornerstone too for Mark Gaynik, OCT, an outdoor educator at Nantyr Shores Secondary School in Innisfil, Ont. Gaynik runs the Enviroventure program for Grades 11 and 12. The program includes winter camping, a canoe trip, a mountain expedition and multiple day trips.

Parents understandably focus on whether their children will be safe during the program. That's where respect comes in, says Gaynik.

He trains his students to respect the environment and understand the precautions to take. They learn to respect themselves and be honest about their limitations. They also respect their classmates and know that everyone's skill and confidence levels are different, and that they must all support each other.

"Safety isn't a one-dimensional term," says Gaynik.

If something goes wrong, Gaynik does have first aid and wilderness first responder credentials. To some extent, physical safety is about training and a checklist. How to foster emotional safety? That doesn't come with a manual but is equally important.

"We have a health and safety committee walking around looking for physical hazards. We don't have a committee checking for socio-emotional hazards, but to a be good teacher you have to consider that," says Finn.

So what makes an all-around safe learning environment, anyway?

For Fahim, it's one where the students feel comfortable to reach out to the teacher for help and guidance.

Adds Knetsch, "It's a place where students can be themselves, and form healthy relationships."

Finn says no type of safety should be overlooked, be it the risk of broken bones or emotional scarring.

Gaynik talks about creating an informal "safety contract." "That's where we have real experiences that lend themselves to emotional and social safety, which allows students to be able to lean on each other for support and encouragement," he says.

All of the safety considerations matter. When Gaynik is doing expeditions, there can be dangers from students stumbling on hazardous terrain, being exposed to the elements, or facing the unknown.

That can happen inside a classroom too. Think of how students can stumble in their progress. Or feel the proverbial ground shifting as they try to find their place in the school and with peers. Still others can feel lost, and look to their teacher for direction.

Outdoors, Gaynik and his students assess the risks. His advice there is applicable to any educational setting. "Observe and assess your surroundings and the potential dangers. See what in the environment might make you safe or safer, and realize you have the support of leaders and classmates."