They had finally arrived. No more war, no more wandering and wondering what might happen to them. The Syrians were safe in Canada now and in our neighbourhood. We wanted to welcome them in and so a tour of our school seemed appropriate. The Vice Principal, accompanied by a translator, and a few local parents gave these families the full tour. At the end of the tour, the Vice Principal asked the Syrian children for feed back. One of the older boys whose head had been on a swivel for the entire tour remarked that he thought it odd that he had seen no children being beaten.
There was a pause, as the shocking contrast of culture & worldview was realized in this simple observation. Finally the Vice Principal sputtered out a response “You are safe here, if I or any of the teachers beat you we go to jail.”
The boy might need more convincing then that, but it was good enough to coax a smile out of him. Canada is going to be all right after all.
