Considering men only represent 2.5% of preschool and kindergarten teachers and 21.5% of elementary and middle school teachers in America, an email to the St. Louis American praising the accomplishments of two Black educators at Normandy Early Learning Center deserved attention and follow-up.
LeDominique Rhodes, who described herself as “a parent within the Normandy Schools Collaborative for over a decade,” wrote to say she witnessed “firsthand the remarkable transformation taking place at the Normandy Early Childhood Center.”
Rhodes highlighted “the leadership” of the school’s principal and assistant principal, Dr. Lanor Payne, and Aman Lado respectively for the center’s remarkable success and improvements in its “culture, climate, and academic performance.”
“In the face of numerous challenges, the Normandy Early Learning Center has undergone a truly inspiring transformation under their visionary leadership,” Rhodes said. “Their campus has the highest student and staff attendance in the district, the largest academic achievement gains and 100% certified staff. At the beginning of the school year, only 9% of kindergartners were reading [at] grade level. Now, an impressive 65% are reading on or above grade level.”
The center is a collaborative that works in association with the Normandy School District. Normandy Early Learning Center opened in August of 2019, a year before the pandemic disrupted classrooms in Missouri and throughout the country.
“With COVID-19 and building construction behind schedule, this was a very difficult process,” Crystal Hunter, director of early learning at the center, told the American in 2020, adding: “However, we have a great team who all worked very hard to achieve this recognition.”
The center received its Missouri license five months ahead of its scheduled 2021 date. According to Public School Review, which provides data analysis of all public schools in the country, the school serves 310 (prekindergarten and kindergarten) students; has a student/teacher ratio of 11:1 (lower than the Missouri state level of 13:1) and has a 99% minority student body enrollment (also higher than the state’s average of 31%).
A 2020 Columbia University study titled “Exploring the Relationships Between Black Boys and Black Male Teachers in Early Childhood Education,” found that Black male teachers perceived their relationships with Black boys in early childhood classrooms as an empowering force. Respondents said they help Black boys “see their individual potential and future success in life; and added that they (Black male educators) showcase “affection that is often not expressed towards Black boys in early childhood due to implicit biases,’” by utilizing “verbal praise, loving gestures, and body language.”
Payne agrees with the University’s assessment, adding that his staff of three other Black educators (assistant principal, teacher, and a teacher’s assistant) work to the center’s advantage.
“A lot of our students come from single-parent households. Their fathers are either not in their lives or they don’t have positive male role models. So, honestly, it helps us because, when it comes to dealing with kids with misbehavior (issues) some of our students respond better to our male staff than would do with our female staff.
“We just wear many hats here. I tell people that ‘I’m not only a principal; I’m a father, an uncle, a pastor, a counselor, a nurse…(laughs), you know, we deal with it all.”
In response to Rhodes’ compliment about the “impressive 65%” of students who read at or above grade level, Payne credited his staff, parents and the “all-hands-on-deck atmosphere” employed at Normandy Early Learning Center.
“We really focus on and drill down on data. We look at what our students are doing well and the areas they’re lacking in then come up with intervention plans to enhance their reading and math skills. It’s not just on the teachers. We also have parental involvement here; our parents are really invested in their kid’s education. Our families do their part at home when it comes to homework and going over certain skills their child hasn’t mastered at home as well.”
In her letter, Rhodes said Payne and his staff “[have]created a space where students feel empowered to express their voices and make choices about their education.”
Payne stressed that there is no culturally based formula that helped achieve that goal.
“Honestly, you just have to take on a mentality of educating the whole child and getting out of that mentality where all students learn the same, because they don’t,” Payne said.
“The big factor with educating kids of color is to keep them engaged and keep them involved. You can’t expect them to just sit down, listen to you and just do their work. You must have engaging lessons and engaging activities that keep them interested and on task. It’s the same be it a Black, brown, or white student. You must be very smart and strategic about differentiating your instructions to make sure you are meeting the needs of all the learners in your classroom.”
Like Rhodes, Payne also praised his assistant principal, Aman Lado. The educator that staff and students call “Mr. Aman,” is a former U.S. marine who served seven years and a tour of combat duty during Operation Desert Storm.
“What I really love about Mr. Aman is that he has a heart and passion for the kids as well. He’s always positive and pleasant with the kids and families. He’s not a yeller or a screamer; he’s a nurturer who has the student’s best interest at heart,” Payne said.
“And he doesn’t give up on kids. He always tries to find the third way to make a student or a teacher successful. He just makes my job a lot easier.”
Payne, who’s been head of the center for only a year, isn’t satisfied with reaching an improved benchmark of students who read at or above grade level. He’s confident that the upcoming final assessment will show students’ scores will be within the 80-to-85% range. Still, he insists, some children-who may have had academic improvement-will be repeating kindergarten because they have not met their “end-of-the-year individual growth plans.”
“I tell people, first grade is the hardest grade to teach, because that’s where all the big skills are introduced. I don’t believe in sending kids to the next grade if they’re not ready. So, I have five students who will be repeating kindergarten, and their parents are on board with that as well.”
Academic success, Payne insists, is not solely based on improved math or reading scores.
“I know a lot of parents want their kids to read (well) at the end of the school year, but, for me, a good year means a student successfully grew academically. I always tell my staff, ‘As long as we have growth, that’s what I’m most concerned with.’”
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.