Shaniqua Williams, a counselor at Northwestern Regional Education Programs (NREP) in Winchester, Virginia, could have given up on her goal of hosting Mix It Up at Lunch Day at her school in 2014. And no one would've blamed her. After all, her preK-12 school serves students with a variety of special needs and disabilities, and the students with emotional disabilities in particular thrive on firmly established routines; switching them up could prove stressful. On top of that, Williams was in her first year as a counselor. Yet, she pursued her goal, and NREP’s first-ever Mix event was so successful that it resulted in the school’s recognition as a 2014-15 Mix Model School. But why did it work?
For starters, Williams had experienced Mix firsthand during her internship the previous school year and knew how powerful it could be. So she shared with her colleagues TT’s video explaining the purpose of the program and walked them through the materials and activities. From there, she posted promotional flyers around the school, pumping up the day, but keeping the details of the event a surprise for the students.
Williams had determined that games would be the best way to ease students into the new lunchtime setup. “Since they are students with emotional disabilities, they struggle with maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships,” Williams says. “Playing board and card games with our students … helps the students shift their focus and allows fun to happen.”
On the big day, Williams showed the students the same video she had shown her colleagues and explained they were mixing it up to learn that, although we may have differences, we can have a lot in common, too. Students in grades 6-12 mixed up their seating by choosing different flavors of Jolly Ranchers. Then, with staff either reading the cards or helping students to do so, each table group played “Would You Rather?” That’s where the fun began.
“I really could not have asked for a better team of teachers to do my first event with,” Williams reflects. “The teachers and students were having so much fun that our principal, Mr. Ralph Reese, came in to see what was going on. He was pleased and happy to see all the different interactions going on.”
The success of NREP’s first Mix It Up at Lunch Day is largely due to the staff’s flexibility, Williams believes. They were willing to try something new and jump right into the adventure with the students. Williams also knows the day was a success because of the relationship building that happened that day. “I encouraged the teachers to ask students why they chose the options they did in the ‘Would You Rather?’ game. This opened up the conversation flow and allowed the students and teachers to have something to laugh about and discuss further in the hallways and in downtime during class.”
Being named a Mix Model School was a fantastic way to cap off the school year, Williams says, but she and the rest of the staff have their eyes on even more fun and relationship building for next year’s event.
Her advice for potential Mix organizers who might think Mix can’t work at their schools? Start small. “Also, I think it is best to have fun with the event yourself; put yourself in the students’ shoes. What event/games/topics would you want to talk about or do? This event should not feel like extra work for the students,” she adds. “It is all about getting that one quiet student to open up and talk at the table, and to watch and see what type of positive interactions and friendships can develop.”
Is your school registered to participate in Mix 2015 on October 27? If not, you can register here in less than 30 seconds!
Bell is a writer and associate editor for Teaching Tolerance. She is also the coordinator for Mix It Up at Lunch Day.
0 COMMENTS