Partnering for Friendship

AUTHOR: MAX SMITH

Region 10 Digital Marketing Specialist

THE bell rings for fourth period at Royse City High School, and it is workout day for Coach Tayler Young’s Partner PE class. One by one, students trickle into the gym, and the class begins with some stretches led by one of the participants. While they are stretching, Coach Young and her Partner PE peers set up the stations for today’s workouts. This class is a smaller class, with four students rotating around the stations in intervals. At each station, they work on exercises, such as sit-ups and push-ups, with one of the Partner PE peers. In the weight room, the students do arm exercises with hand weights. While the workouts are going on, Coach Young keeps a loose, fun atmosphere by playing music over the speakers - she even takes special requests from her students. Since its inception 10 years ago, the program has grown from one class into three separate classes, which take place from fourth period through sixth period. Each class is designed according to the different needs and functions of its participants. “The fourth period class is smaller, more oneon-one, because there's more need. Fifth period is a little bit bigger, with the higher functioning students. Sixth period, those are a lot of my nonverbal kids that need a lot more one-on-one attention,” Coach Young explained.

Many Partner PE programs that have these same characteristics are found in larger school districts that have their own Adapted PE specialists. Despite the smaller district size, Royse City’s General Education PE teachers have stepped up in a big way to run the program, according to Hannah Reynolds, Region 10 Adapted PE Specialist, who works with Coach Young. “It has allowed for the emphasis to be placed on inclusion and involving the general education population with the students in special education,” Reynolds shared. Reynolds has been amazed by the ability of Coach Young to show such dedication to the program’s success while also serving as the coach for girl’s basketball and golf. For Reynolds, Coach Young has done a great job of building relationships and making everyone feel included in the class.

“It amazes me every day that she not only takes on these coaching roles, but also is so dedicated to her Partner PE class periods by forming trusting relationships with her partners, who typically assist in a large part of the setup and day-to-day activities in the class. She truly cares for the development of each student in special education who attends her class,” shared Reynolds. “She has a natural ability to make anyone feel like part of the team and included in whatever they are doing no matter their disability.” Coach Young tries to keep the classes similar to the General Education PE classes, with added structure and routine to fit the needs of the Partner PE students.

For Emily Teal, a student at Royse City High School who serves as a Partner PE peer, building relationships with the participants is one of her favorite aspects of the program. “When you come in here, it's not about you. It's 45 minutes that are all about the kids and making sure that you're the best role model and friend for them,” Teal said. These relationships the peers have built with the participants, and the commitment they have shown to them, has been one of the most notable aspects of the program to Reynolds. She credits much of the success of this particular program to Coach Young and the school staff for recruiting students who are mature, patient, and compassionate. “I know that most of the students are high school athletes who could be using this class credit and time to do something else, but they instead choose to completely invest in the Partner PE program and form personal relationships with each student in their class period,” Reynolds shared. “They all have committed to the program 100 percent, and they each serve a unique role in the class curriculum and development. It creates a program that allows these students in special education to feel a sense of inclusion and belonging, while learning the important social skill of forming relationships with peers. They also learn about different sports and fitness activities that they can use after graduating.” In her time coaching the class, Coach Young says she has seen the Partner PE peers get more out of the program than the participants. In addition to developing various skills, the peers are provided an opportunity to build relationships with students who they may not get to interact with on a regular basis. “The Partner PE peers learn patience, they learn leadership skills, they learn to be accountable. When they join this class, they become more attentive to other people and their needs,” Coach Young shared. “They build genuine relationships, and sometimes I think these relationships are even stronger than their relationships with their friends.”