By Maggie Blackwell
mblackwell@salisburypost.com
Twelve girls from Salisbury High School have tutored students at Isenberg Elementary twice a week since November. Last week, they made their final trip to the school to work with the kids.
As the girls walked into classrooms, the reaction of students was visible. Some kids smiled and sat up straighter. Some blurted out in class.
When Hannah White walked into Fitrah Shahid-El’s first-grade class, the three children she mentors ran to hug her knees, calling, “Miss Hannah!”
The program was the brainchild of Salisbury High physical education teacher and basketball coach Andrew Mitchell. The girls are all students in his physical education class for athletes. Mitchell developed the program with the help of Salisbury High curriculum coach Monda Griggs.
“I wanted them to learn something more than basketball,” Mitchell said. “So I tried to provide them with an experience they can take with them.
“When we return to the high school, we talk about what the afternoon was like. Some of the girls observed their kids had acted out, or talked too much. I asked them, ‘Can you see how we as teachers feel when students act out?’ They were able to see it from a different perspective.”
Each of the girls was assigned a class, and they performed support in a variety of ways. Some worked one-on-one with students. Some helped all the students as the teacher led class. Some took groups of kids to another room to use flashcards or work on reading skills.
The girls all agreed the experience has been a positive one. Although some were enthusiastic from the start, some were unsure ó until they met the kids. Now they are all advocates of the program.
Jenna Bryan, a cross-country athlete who made the all-conference team, said she hopes to be a teacher, so the tutoring has helped her understand what she will face.
Kia Rice, an honor student with a 4.0 average, said having the relationship with her students was rewarding.
“It’s gratifying when you see them start to understand,” Hannah White said.
The girls were highly aware Thursday was their last visit to the school.
De’Rya Wylie, captain of the girls’ basketball team, tutored fourth-graders.
“It was a real pleasure working with the kids ó seeing the excitement on their faces, reading, writing, sometimes just giving them a smile,” she said. “It’s kind of hard to say goodbye, but hopefully I’ll see them again.”
Joshua Joyce, a first-grader who has been tutored by Shanequa “Bubbles” Phifer, summed up the elementary students feelings: “I am so glad when she walks in, and it just breaks my heart when she leaves.”