The learning at Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva goes well beyond textbooks. Since 2013, RPRY has incorporated the Second Step Program into its education curriculum. The Second Step Program focuses on social-emotional learning (SEL) and the growth of each student. This year, RPRY has expanded the Second Step Program by conducting weekly sessions for students to learn about empathy, respect, perspective taking as well as many other important SEL skills in an age-appropriate way.

During this week’s session, the fourth grade students had a powerful discussion about empathy and what it means to walk in someone else’s shoes. The third grade students practiced self-talk to help them remember new information and to help stay focused in the classroom. The sixth grade students learned about the process of actively growing their brains. This lesson directly complemented what they have been learning in their unit on fostering a growth mindset, which only helped drive the message home. As sixth grade teacher, Ally Cooper, put it, “We have been learning about having a growth mindset in our language arts class. The concept is quite abstract, so it was extremely helpful that the instructor presented the students with a visual, explaining how our brains grow as we continue to practice and strengthen our skills.” The teachers participate in these sessions to learn and grow along with their classes. These teachers are then able to use the same language that they just practiced, making the session even more impactful for each student.