ABOUT RTP
Purpose
At Mercy College we believe teachers have the right to teach and students have the right to learn.
The purpose of the Responsible Thinking Classroom is to create an environment that is safe, respectful, conducive to learning and free from disruptive behaviour, where students develop the ability to become self-disciplined.
The Responsible Thinking Process (RTP) is designed to teach the students to take responsibility, not only for their actions/behaviours but also for their learning. It helps them identify proactive solutions to their needs without causing a disruption within the classroom.
Teachers have the right to teach and students have the right to learn in a safe environment. No student has the right to disrupt at school, regardless of where they are, especially if they are preventing other students from learning or are threatening the safety and rights of others.
The process utilises questioning and negotiation to find out what causes students to disrupt and allows them the opportunity (through planning) to correct their behaviour and become more successful in the learning environment.
Mercy College first implemented the Responsible Thinking Process in 2008 and since then it has proven to be a very effective behaviour support program.
Leadership is about taking responsibility
The key to successful discipline is to offer choices, so that a person can decide the way they want to be. In other words, they must be given the freedom to choose the level of social contact at which they are willing to act responsibly.
This means that rather than being subject to punitive actions, which usually create more hostility and do little to teach better ways to live in harmony with others, people should, through their own decision, experience the loss of the privilege of staying wherever they are until they are willing to accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions.
"Personal responsibility developed by students through RTP allows them to develop skills that will prepare them to experience success in other relationships outside the classrooms."