Advertisement

Departing fifth graders at Booker T. Washington Elementary leave lessons for their peers (w/video)

 
From left, Tayvon Scott, 6, Arion Taylor, 9, and Nazir Anderson, 6, play with globs of slime they created from a science experiment taught by the Darius Troupe, a fifth-grader at Booker T. Washington Elementary School in Tampa. Students at Booker T. Washington Elementary School spent a "Day of Service" teaching their peers in a class exercise on May 24, 2017. [OCTAVIO JONES   |   Times]
From left, Tayvon Scott, 6, Arion Taylor, 9, and Nazir Anderson, 6, play with globs of slime they created from a science experiment taught by the Darius Troupe, a fifth-grader at Booker T. Washington Elementary School in Tampa. Students at Booker T. Washington Elementary School spent a "Day of Service" teaching their peers in a class exercise on May 24, 2017. [OCTAVIO JONES | Times]
Published May 27, 2017

TAMPA — Teaching kindergarteners how to make slime seems like a good idea — when you're 12.

For Darius Troupe, the reality was noisy and messy, but worth it when he saw the children's smiles.

"I see my future when I was standing up in front of that classroom," said the fifth-grader at Booker T. Washington Elementary, critiquing the experience in the final days of school.

This week's Leadership Day was one of the culminating activities at Washington, an east Tampa school that's seen a whirlwind of improvement efforts this past year.

As one of seven Hillsborough County Elevate schools, Washington is seeking to transform itself from a chronic under-performer — graded an F three out of the past four years — to a model school.

All of the schools in the group have high poverty rates, with most students qualifying for free lunch and families moving frequently.

Leaders say it's too early to judge the results of the Elevate effort.

But, for principal Jaime Gerding, Leadership Day was part of an overall strategy to build the students' character.

"When we are thinking about our fifth-graders going off into middle school, we know that we have to make sure they understand that they have value and are in control of their learning, and that there's a future they are headed towards," she said.

It also reinforces the school's sense of community.

"Our students here value each other," she said. "They take care of each other."

Throughout Wednesday, fifth graders taught math and science. There was a lesson on figurative language in rap music, and on teamwork in basketball.

Kindal Pierce and I'Keyiara Williams weren't sure how they would teach yoga and mindfulness to a second-grade class.

"I might mess up," Kindal said.

I'Keyiara was more worried about her audience. "They might laugh and stuff," she said.

Darius thought he was ready for his slime lesson. He planned to start with a YouTube video.

But, as it turned out, the room did not have a projector. There were two classes crowded into one room. His supplies were not well-organized.

He had help from a fellow student, Ashanti Wooten, and several adults.

But he didn't anticipate how hyper the kids would be, pounding their party cups and teasing each other while Darius was measuring water, glue and detergent.

The turning point was when the gloopy, sticky mixtures began to feel like slime. "It's seeing those smiles on their faces," Darius gushed when it was all over. "And they're passing to first grade."

When asked to describe their years at Washington, the fifth- graders pointed to initiatives like this one, taken to keep them motivated.

They learned the mantra, "Scholars work hard, scholars succeed, we are scholars."

They were allowed to suggest "passion projects" in their fields of interest. Teachers discussed goals with them. Fun Friday included a "reflection room" for times when their behavior needed work.

"It's a lot of teachers that really care about you and if you need help with something, they'll like look out for you," Darius said. One offered to find him transportation to baseball practice this summer.

"They want you to be successful and they'll help you with any problem you have."

Gerding, who is finishing her first full year at the school, said much of the faculty training has revolved around "social emotional learning," or creating the right environment so the students will apply themselves.

It's too soon to measure the effect this training has had on the students, much less determine how long it will take for it to translate into academic success.

The latest teacher survey showed Washington improved this year in parent and community support.

But a separate report, on the third-grade state reading test, showed Washington had some of the lowest scores in the district, with 84 percent below grade level and 59 percent scoring at Level 1, the lowest.

That's just one test, Gerding said, while acknowledging the school has a long way to go.

"We're looking at innovative methods to try and lay a foundation for our students that absolutely will take time," she said.

"This process and our goals are not one-year goals. We're looking at multi-year goals to be able to fill in the missing pieces for our students who need to catch up. But also, you have to look at our students as individuals. If you would lay out all of our third-grade students, every student does not have the same needs."

Contact Marlene Sokol at (813) 226-3356 or msokol@tampabay.com. Follow @marlenesokol