Ep 189 | There is a new place for 6th graders!

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I know that middle school is awkward, and there's a lot of social pressure that comes with being in middle school. Our bodies are changing, our brains are working in overtime. And when we stay on the elementary campus for that extra year, what we're seeing is some of those social pressures are removed, and students can continue to really focus on that academic growth and be a little more willing to be guided by their adults with some of the social things that are happening at that age. And I think that that's been a direct benefit to the students and the parents.

SPEAKER_01 0:41

Welcome to the Voices United in Education podcast. Each week we showcase the teachers, administrators, and community members who go the extra mile to contribute to the success of every child in Escambia County. You'll meet the real people behind the titles and learn about the amazing resources to support your child's success. Fifth graders. They go from being top dog in their elementary school to low man on the totem pole in middle school. My next guest is the principal at one school who is trying something different. West Pensacola Elementary School recently added sixth grade to their building. Today she's going to share how it's going and brag on her amazing school, leading her school from better to best, future-minded culture builder Christine Baker. Thanks for being here. Wow, great intro. Thank you so much. You're welcome. So before combining the grades, where did the sixth graders go?

SPEAKER_00 1:43

They, our students really split between three of the district middle schools. There was Warrington Middle before it was Warrington Prep, Bailey, and Bellevue. So our kids really kind of went in a lot of different directions.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

Oh, that must have been hard for the kids who have been in school together for so long and then all of a sudden their friends are scattered.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

I definitely think it was impactful for them, especially if you've never been to West Pensacola Elementary. It is in the middle of a neighborhood. So it's not on a major thoroughfare. You're not going to pass it on the way to the grocery store. And so a lot of our students walk, they ride their bikes, their parents went to school there. I have quite a few employees that attended school there as children. So then being split apart from what you found to be your neighbors, I think that was that was hard.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

What benefits do you feel like there are for kids and parents, I suppose, in keeping the sixth graders in elementary school versus moving them on to middle?

SPEAKER_00 2:41

I've never been a middle school administrator or teacher, but I've been a middle schooler and I've been a middle school parent. And I know that middle school is awkward, and there's a lot of social pressure that comes with being in middle school. Our bodies are changing, our brains are working in overtime. And when we stay on the elementary campus for that extra year, what we're seeing is some of those social pressures are removed. And students can continue to really focus on that academic growth and be a little more willing to be guided by their adults with some of the social things that are happening at that age. And I think that that's been a direct benefit to the students and the parents. I think we have a lot of sixth graders that have younger siblings that are still in elementary school. So having that one campus, one drop-off, one pickup, same time, really benefits the parent, especially a working parent who instead of trying to negotiate several drop-offs, pickups, childcare, you've got one location, your kids are together. Oh, I could see that.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

I think some people might push back though on the middle school part and say, well, you're gonna have to eventually rip off the band-aid.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

But what do you think about that? I think time will answer that best. But I do think with an extra year on the elementary campus, what we've seen is that when they go to seventh grade, they have a little more understanding of the world, of themselves and of their peers. And they're not at the bottom and they're not at the top. So they kind of come in at the middle. And I think that there's something powerful in that because they're not struggling with where do I fit in as a sixth grader, but they're also not feeling overly confident as an eighth grader. They're they're just kind of sliding in the middle where they belong. I also think that it's not for every student. There are some very specific kids that are have goals, academic goals, um, musical goals, that aren't going to get those experiences with a sixth grade elementary experience, right? We don't have chorus, we don't have a full band, you know, and so we have to be wise and understand that we want our parents to have choice. And this is just one of those choices. And I think Ascambia County Public Schools is really trying to help our family see that we are a district for every child. And there's a growing population of students, maybe because of COVID, maybe because of some other changes in society, that still need that extra TLC you get in elementary school, even when they're 11 or 12. And that's what we're here for.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

What about academically? Do you feel like there's strong advantages to staying when you're more?

SPEAKER_00 5:27

One of the things that our sixth graders benefit from academically is a lack of transition every 49 minutes. In our typical middle school settings in Escambia County, they have seven periods. The kids are rotating, they have five to seven teachers. In the elementary experience, they have two content area teachers and then their special area teachers. So there's less transition, and our teachers teach more than one content. So we have a math science, and then we have a history English teacher. If I'm the math teacher and my math content is really heavy this week, my science may be a little shortened so that my kids get that extension in math. But next week, my science might be extended so that my my uh students can can stay on pace. And I think something that no other middle school can do. You can't say we're not rotating to second period. When the bell rings, they have to go. We don't have to do that. And because of that, we have seen tremendous growth with our sixth graders' academics. And it's really great for our kinder first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and pre-K teachers to see because sometimes we wonder what happens when they go to sixth grade. And we wonder if those seeds we've planted ever start to bear fruit. And we are really seeing that happen with our sixth graders.

SPEAKER_01 6:43

I always love when the student solution helps the teacher burnout problem also.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

Definitely. And our teachers feel very encouraged by the success of the sixth graders because not every sixth grader that found awesome success last year had a successful fifth grade or fourth grade year. So it was like, where was this that we know that all of that work didn't happen in one year? So it was in there. There was just something about the setting that finally let it come to the surface. And I think I've seen my teachers be very encouraged and more willing to continue to put forth effort when maybe they're not seeing that immediate success because they understand a saying that we often share in education, you know, that you might not always get the shade from the tree that you planted. They got to see some of that happen. And so then it's like this does happen eventually. So yeah, it's been great. And I think it's good too for their peers, right? So you might have a sibling who didn't have a great, you know, upper grade, you know, intermittent intermediate year in elementary school, but then in sixth grade they blossomed. Well, if you were a second grader, you remember that. And then you remember not to give up on yourself. So I think that's important too. I mean, that's a whole culture that you're talking about. We definitely have tried to build a culture where our students understand that it's their opportunity to own, but that they are worth every bit of effort that we and they put into that. And with that comes an understanding that we are all a work in progress. Um, we have the most amazing, and I know every print every principal feels this way, but we have the most amazing faculty and staff. From the cafeteria to every classroom teacher to the custodians, everybody is teaching and everybody's learning. And because of that, our our kids really are surrounded by a community of learners, a community of teachers, and they see the value in that. I also think having our students mentor one another, which we do have happening on our campus, really allows the students to understand that their peers, their older peers are still learning because they talk about it.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

Oh, that's fascinating. Okay. So because I was gonna ask you about this anyway, so I'm glad you brought this up because you've got four-year-olds pre-K. Oh my gosh, they're so little when they're four. They're and they're hilarious. I love four-year-olds. But then you've also got 11 and 12-year-olds, which is a dramatic difference developmentally. So who is mentoring who? How does that look?

SPEAKER_00 9:25

So we utilize the house system as a way to build some of the culture at our school in which our students are sorted into houses. Oh, like Harry Potter. Correct. And our youngest students, so pre-K and kindergarten, they're sorted with a big. So they have a fifth or sixth grader, that is their big. They're kind of recruited, drafted, like the NFL, into a house. And they are peer-mentored by that student throughout the school year. And those, so if I'm a sixth grader who maybe reading isn't my strong suit, I don't really want to read in front of my peers and probably don't even want to read in front of my teacher, but I'm sure gonna read to that four-year-old. And there is some power in that because that four-year-old, they're noticing struggles. But what they're really noticing is this big kid is practicing. This big kid is reading to me. This big kid cares. And um, we've seen some really terrific partnerships grow from that.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

Oh my gosh. I have goosebumps.

SPEAKER_00 10:20

Yeah, that is amazing. Yeah, we have um parents with students, and the parent works there, and the students are there and they're in the same house. So that's really special. But then we also have some parents not in the same house with their students, and it's neat to hear them share what's happening behind the scenes with each other. It's a great opportunity for building culture and that mentorship coming. And I think we're really lucky in sixth grade. We have two sixth grade teachers. They're both dynamic. But Mr. Ray, our math science teacher, he has taken it upon himself to be a mentor of within our school. So he has some third graders in particular I can think of that really work hard during the week to visit him because he's the cool sixth grade teacher. And he shows his sixth graders how to be a mentor. Those kids come into his classroom, they might share their success for the week, something that they're struggling with. He roots them on, he redirects them when necessary with love and kindness and caring. And I see those sixth graders do the same with their little. So it's just a great circle of culture that that happens.

unknown 11:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

When we were doing our pre-chat, you shared how Mr. Ray came into your staff. Can you share that? Sure.

SPEAKER_00 11:32

So Mr. Ray happened to pick up a sub job. Our fifth grade reading teacher had injured herself and was going to be out for two weeks before Christmas break. And if you've ever been in an elementary school two weeks before Christmas break, it's it's interesting. Um, that kids are not excited at all. Um, and neither are the adults. So it's a lot of energy. And he walked in the door that first day to sub, and I thought, oh, this is gonna be good or this is gonna be bad. And he went down there and he just had those kids wrapped around his pinky within minutes. And probably, I think it was the fourth day he was there. I remember saying to my secretary, I've got to hire this guy. Like he has to stay. So is the best job interview ever. Right. And I went to him and I said, What do you do? Like, I know some of our subs, you know, they have all kinds of job second jobs. And he said, Well, I'm in school to be a teacher, getting a biology degree. I'm gonna teach secondary. I said secondary like middle school. And he was like, Yeah. And I said, Well, we're gonna add sixth grade here next year. Why don't you teach sixth grade here? And he was like, Are you kidding? And I said, Yeah, the fifth graders that you're subbing for right now would be your students next year. And he was like, How do we make this happen? And I called HR and we're was lucky enough to get a, you know, we offer college recruiting contracts, so preconditional contracts to um college students in this district. And he got one of those. I mean, I signed him that December, and he kept coming back. So every time he had a break from his college classes, he would come back to visit. When our fifth graders graduated at the end of the year, he came to their ceremony to meet their parents. And I mean, it was just like meant to be. And he came in, and I would say he's, you know, we kind of have built this sixth grade program around him. Oh, I love that. That's so powerful. Yeah, he is very dynamic, and I think that he's a model of, you know, coming into education as a second career, he's prior military and maybe prior hippie before that. So he's coming at it with a with a lot of life and and for the right reasons. Like he really understands what education can do for kids and what being a good role model for young people can lead to. And he's in it for the right reasons. I mean, there's a sixth grader that moved on to seventh grade whose parents came back and said, Will you please be his mentor? And and he's mentoring a seventh grader in minor middle school.

SPEAKER_01 13:51

That's amazing. Yeah, he's he's a great guy. West Pensacola Elementary also got bumped up from a C school to a B school. Yes. So what does that mean exactly?

SPEAKER_00 14:01

Well, it was the first time in 22 years that the school hadn't been been C rated or lower. And I attribute a lot of that to the success of our sixth graders. They outperform district averages, they outperform state averages and many of the aspects of achievement and learning gains. And so for the area of town we live in, you know, achieving something above average is tremendous because our students are sometimes overlooked. They're sometimes talked about because they lived on the west side in a certain manner. And having that bee really made a difference for them. It made a difference. We're all carrying ourselves a little differently this year. I think I didn't share this with you in our pre-interview, but when I found out we were a B, I have lots of dreams for my school. But I told my secretary, I said, I just want them to be celebrated in the biggest way. Like I want businesses to come in and like throw us parties. And she's like, on the phone, and she made it happen. The shrimp basket catered. I mean, they catered this huge lunch. My custodians, I mean, in the summer, everybody came and we got to eat together and just celebrate. We are taking a whole school, my entire building is emptying out on February 9th, and we're going to the Sanger Theater, a church paid. For my entire school, every single student, 500 kids, employees, the custodians that we're all going to watch a movie at the Sanger, the historic Sanger Theater, a place where some of the adults at this building may not have been to before. Wow. And so I and we're doing this in celebration because when you're successful, good things come to you. And sometimes you do have to work really hard for that success. It is hard work to move the needle in education because the needle's always moving. So I want them to feel that. And so we've really had a fun year of lots of ways of celebrating our students and ourselves, right? The adults should get celebrated too. I'm looking forward to what our PM3 data looks like because I I feel I feel really positive. I hate to say that out loud. But but things are looking good. You know, we're, we have, we're, we're tracking in the right direction. And sixth grade, again, is a big part of that. Keeping those kids there an extra year is just sort of magical. It's really hard on us as adults because we're even more like you're if you're at West Pensacola for a day, we know your name, we know your mom, we're hugging you. I love it because parents and substitutes come in and they always say, you know, every kid's name. And I'm like, that is my job, is to know the people in this building. And that's my belief. But that's also the culture because my guidance counselor knows every kid. My AP, she's first year at West Penn this year, she knows every kid. My teachers know their student siblings. They we can stand in the car rider line and we know somebody's mom, even if they're not in the right car. That's our job. Because when we know the person, then when there's bumps, we can help them, right? There, there's a reason to dig deep. And um, yeah, it's just, it's just a great so keeping them there an extra year, they get to be loved on and nurtured through one of the most awkward times of life. And I think that we're seeing that it really works. And it's not, I'm I'm gonna repeat this. It may not be for every kid. We had a student who went to Brown Barge, and she deserved to go there, right? I mean, this was this is her vision for herself. And we support that. We want her to achieve, but we also know that we have a large population of kids. They need the pillow, they they need a little extra support, and we're there. That's why they're that's why we're there. How long have you been a principal? This is my ninth year, and I have been at West Pensacola every day of those nine years.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

Huh.

SPEAKER_00 17:41

I love that school.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

Yeah, obviously. I love that school school. That's why I'm asking you because it's like you are radiating the the pride for your school, and I love it.

SPEAKER_00 17:51

And I I really I hope my families listen to this because and I hope that they know it's not just the adults and the kids. Like, I love my families. I went through a personal struggle a few years ago, and I had a parent like make dinner for my family, and that was so humbling, you know. That community is amazing. They give me a lot of grace. Principles are human, right? We make mistakes, not every decision is the right decision. But I really believe that my community understands that when I make decisions, it is in the best interest of the child, of every child. And and they give me grace because I think that they believe that. And and uh I I and I know that they know that I love their kids. They know that I do. I mean, they tell me that they know because I would do whatever it takes for their kids to be successful, because I think that every child, every child deserves a champion, you know. We play that song almost every day at the end of the news. So we we really uh believe in that at West Pensacola. And that's why we want our students to mentor each other and our teachers mentor each other, and they mentor other kids that you know may not be in their class. But Tuesday afternoon we had a leadership team meeting of 13 teachers on my leadership team, and we were talking about something tough, a culture thing. And she said, you know, we just have to remember that all kids are our kids. So we can't say, Well, my kids don't do that. Well, yeah, because if one kid in Miss Jones' class does that, that's one of your kids because every roadrunner belongs to everybody in that building. So sixth graders included. Yeah, we love them.

SPEAKER_01 19:38

Well, it's one thing to love them, but it's another thing to love them and have so much success with them. And that's to me, that's what's impressive because you've not only bumped up from B to C, but you also like made it through COVID. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:56

COVID. Those were some really challenging experiences, but I feel like again, it was such an opportunity for our school to grow. My teachers were crazy about making sure our kids didn't lose any opportunity at learning during COVID. We had the shutdown, and my teachers were, of course, doing their best to engage kids online, it was really hard that last quarter. But the following year, when we came back, and in Escambia County, we came back with that hybrid model. So students got to choose if they were remote or in person. And most schools, I feel like is, you know, 60, 40 at first. And I brought teachers in and I said, you know, what I'm hearing is every grade level in other schools is gonna have a teacher that takes all of the remote kids. So then you might have 45, 50 kids that are online. Everybody else's classes will be a little smaller because they'll be in person. And my teacher said, That's not gonna work, Miss Baker. I said, What do you mean? They're like, Well, those online kids, they're not, they're not gonna tune in. And I'm like, Well, what's the option? And they said, Well, we want to have half and half, we want some kids online and some kids in class, and those online kids, they're gonna see their peers and they're gonna have those dated. I mean, we had computers on wheels, like on these stands, and they went to PE, they went to the cafeteria, they went in the hallway lines on bathroom breaks. But you know what happened is those kids were so engaged, right? There wasn't any of that awkward, like, okay, it's lunchtime, everybody turn off your computer. It was like, oh, wait, it's lunchtime, and my teacher's gonna roll the computer up to this table and I'm gonna get to chat. So our kids, I think that they lost a little less and they also came back. They came back quicker. So by Christmas, we were, you know, 85% of our students were back. And I always find a a great sense of um pride when I look at the year we took the state test, but they didn't give school grades. A lot of schools, if they were to get a grade, their data dropped. Of course, the kids aren't there. Our data didn't drop. And the year after that, when people are like, okay, we're gonna start to recover, we grew again. And we have just steadily increased until the B last year. And it was amazing. And and again, it goes back to that culture, that culture of every kid is our kid. If they're at home, somehow we're gonna make them feel like they're right here with us. And I have a picture of she's my curriculum, the curriculum coordinator at West Pensacola now, in the hallway, holding onto the stand, you know, with her classes in line and she's wheeling her online kids with her. And I have this picture and I I've flipped through it often thinking of the extreme lengths that the teachers at that school went through for the students that aren't their own children, but they treat them and that chance that an education provides as if they were their own, because they know what education can do for kids.

SPEAKER_01 23:02

Christine, I have no closing thoughts because what you're sharing just stands on its own. Yeah, they're amazing.

SPEAKER_00 23:09

If your student is looking for a home for sixth grade, we are a school choice option and we we welcome kids that maybe parents might think if my child transitions, this is going to be really hard and they're just not ready yet. Let us help you, you know, bring them over for sixth grade. And um, if you have students that are in other grades and you're just looking for a school that's like home, but also very focused on ensuring academic success, we're there for those kids too. So I think that the faculty and staff at West Pensacola is just the best, you know.

SPEAKER_01 23:43

Well, thank you so much for coming here today and telling about it and bragging on them. I hope that your families do listen to this. And I hope that your team members also listen to this because it's such a bright light. So thank you. They're awesome. Thank you so much. Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe and share. Voices United in Education is a production of Escambia County Public Schools.