Character Education
What we teach?
MISD Counseling follows the Texas Education Code §29.906 to teach character traits and personal skills. The district uses curriculum, as approved by the Superintendent's Advisory Committee, from Capturing Kids Heart Leadworthy Lessons for all grades and Character Strong Purposeful People for PK-5 to teach the required instruction per Sec. 29.906. To review curriculum please make an appointment with your student's campus.
Sec. 29.906. CHARACTER TRAITS AND PERSONAL SKILLS INSTRUCTION. (a) The State Board of Education shall integrate positive character traits and personal skills into the essential knowledge and skills adopted for kindergarten through grade 12, as appropriate.
(b) The State Board of Education must include the following positive character traits and personal skills:
(1) courage;
(2) trustworthiness, including honesty, reliability, punctuality, and loyalty;
(3) integrity;
(4) respect and courtesy;
(5) responsibility, including accountability, diligence, perseverance, self-management skills, and self-control;
(6) fairness, including justice and freedom from prejudice;
(7) caring, including kindness, empathy, compassion, consideration, patience, generosity, charity, and interpersonal skills;
(8) good citizenship, including patriotism, concern for the common good and the community, responsible decision-making skills, and respect for authority and the law;
(9) school pride; and
(10) gratitude.
All counselors will also provide information and lessons on College, Career, and Military Readiness as required by the state. Our counselors will use our Academic Planning Guides for Middle School and High School students along with our Career and Technical Education pathways to help prepare students for their future beyond MISD. Secondary Counselors will use our Xello platform to assist students with Career and College Exploration. We want to launch our students well and provide them with the opportunities for them to make informed decisions about their future.
The state requires districts to teach on the topics of teen violence, human trafficking, drug trends, and bullying. We as a district have these topics taught by outside agencies that were specifically chosen by our Student Health Advisory Committee. These agencies provide parent informational nights so parents can make informed choices of whether or not they would like to opt their students in/out of the presentations.