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Teaching respect: R-Time is the right time for Mesquite ISD
By Kenny Green, kgreen@starlocalnews.com
An elementary-level program is helping students improve relationships and reduce the amount of bullying in Mesquite ISD. The district began the program five years ago at Range Elementary. It is currently offered at 29 of the district's elementary schools.
One school, McKenzie Elementary, has offered a program, known as R-Time, for the last four years. The program is aimed at reducing bullying and improving the character of students and teachers.
"R-Time is a character [education] program, but it is also an anti-bullying program. Those are two programs that, by law, every school should have," said Rick Benavidez, McKenzie Elementary counselor. "As an added bonus, it supports our district Kares initiative. We are getting three areas addressed with one program, which is outstanding."
"[The teacher] created a book that has lessons [for] kindergarten through sixth grade," Benavidez said. "He then went into his classroom and started teaching these lessons and saw that over the course of a few weeks there was such a difference in the way that the students were relating to one another. It gained such notoriety in the UK that it ended up coming to the U.S."
R-Time is a relationship-building program that focuses on random pairing. Each lesson lasts 15 to 20 minutes and is taught once a week. The primary focus is on teaching the student skills that they are not learning at home.
Students are placed in random pairs, where they will perform the lesson and then discuss it with the class.
"They have the opportunity to talk about things they don't necessarily get the opportunity to talk about," Benavidez said.
The program was written to provide a creative way to allow teachers to work with their students.
"It makes school a more enjoyable and safe place as well," Benavidez said.
Part of the program's concept is to improve students' behavior through respect. R-Time was written so that it could be carried with the students outside the home and allows the parents to become involved in it.
Negotiate extends R-Time concepts into middle school
The Mesquite ISD is also offering a program that builds upon the lessons taught with the R-Time program. The program is called Negotiate, and all of the middle schools in the district are utilizing it.
"We put kind of a career spin on it," said Dr. David Barrett, Agnew Middle School counselor.
The program allows middle school students to interact with each other and explore and share views on a wide range of issues. The goal is to help the students develop better interpersonal skills and create positive relationships.
"It's a great chance for middle school students to be heard," Barrett said.
The curriculum is based on real-life scenarios that allow the students to think their way through them by relaying their views to their partner.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
Grandma wrote on Feb 21, 2013 9:24 AM:
" I find this article very decieving. This article makes it sound like MISD is actually doing something about bullying. I can tell you from experience...they don't. I have 3 grandchildren in MISD currently and 2 of those are being bullied relentlessly. One by a teacher. We fight every day and seem to be getting nowhere. The rules are set up to protect the person doing the bullying...not the child being bullied. If my family is any indication, 2/3 of the children in MISD are being bullied. UNACCEPTABLE.... "
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