Teaching Tolerance has asked teachers, counselors and school administrators what they thought was the best way to run a Mix It Up at Lunch Day. We’ve received great responses, and we’ll be sharing them with you between now and Mix Day on Tuesday, Nov. 9.
This will be the 10th year of participating in Mix It Up for Kirbyville Middle School. We have decided to hold a Mix It Up Day each quarter of the school year, rather than just once a year. We held our first one this school year on Friday, Sept. 17. Students picked a playing card from a deck of cards and sat at the corresponding table. I had placed several conversation starter questions at each table. I also took a microphone and randomly had students share their answers to the questions. Teachers mix it up as well, sitting among the students to help promote positive attitudes. We had students from fourth to eighth grades participate.
We understand that the event is more successful and has more of an impact if done more than once a year. We take surveys of our sixth, seventh and eight grades to find out what they think about Mix It Up. The students in these grades also take a six-week course entitled “Life Skills.” In that course, students learn about peer pressure, character traits and useful social skills for everyday life. The goal is for them to become self-respecting, self-sufficient citizens. Our school counselors teach the class. They have agreed to use lessons that support and reinforce what Mix It Up is all about.
Our hope is to become a Mix It Up Model School this year.
Amy Gardner
Art Teacher
Kirbyville Middle School
Kirbyville, Mo.
Share your own Mix It Up tips here [2]. And if your school hasn’t signed up yet, go to the Mix It Up map [3] and do so today. Also, be sure to spread the word about Mix [4] to your friends and colleagues.
Links:
[1] http://www.tolerance.org/author/amy-gardner
[2] http://www.tolerance.org/contact-form
[3] http://www.tolerance.org/mix-it-up/map
[4] http://www.tolerance.org/mix-it-up/how-to-participate