Each One, Teach One: Mentorship at Sankofa

UC Berkeley sophomore Anna Fretz and Sankofa Academy 4th-grader Imani’s high-five echoes in the school’s otherwise quiet second-floor hallway. It’s the sound of success: The duo has worked together weekly since September as part of Berkeley’s Sage Mentorship Project, and Imani just posted a Math score in the 95th percentile. “I’m so proud of you!” Anna tells Imani.

“Anna helps me improve in both English and Math,” Imani says. “What was that problem you helped me with? Oh, I was working on denominators and numerators – we had to make the denominators equal. Anna helped me with that and then I got it.”

“I love doing this,” Anna says. “It’s a really direct form of support, and I get to see how much Imani improves.”

Beyond academic milestones, the Sage Project has built lasting bonds among the college mentors and their 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade mentees. “We’ve developed such a close connection that it’s become a genuine friendship,” says Anna. Imani agrees, describing their rapport as “natural. Anna’s nice and we have a good understanding of each other.”

4th-grader Le Asia, who’s been paired with Berkeley’s Andrew Spencley since September 2009, notes the unique dynamic this one-on-one mentoring creates. “Andrew helps me by explaining things in a different type of way. If you’re behind in class, the mentors help you catch up.”

“The coolest thing is seeing the progression,” Andrew reflects. “I’ve worked with her in 3rd grade and now in 4th, and you see the huge impact a couple hours a week can make. I feel like it’s the highlight of both of our weeks!”

“I don’t see Sage as something that’s just beneficial for our kids,” says 5th-grade teacher China Byon. “It’s mutually beneficial for mentor and mentee, and I’ve noticed that the best pairings occur when they both understand that. They’re here forming new bonds, and it’s about making connections and being part of the larger community.”

“I want to go to Cal…”

For Sankofa’s kids, connecting with Berkeley students makes college a relatable, tangible goal. While several mentees’ siblings are in college, “weekly contact with a college student may not be something they have,” says Byon.

“It gives them the idea that they can go to college,” explains sophomore Vachel Samuels, Jr., who mentors 5th-grader Premier. “If we come back and give back, they see they can be successful, that they can have the opportunities that I do.”

Premier has clearly taken the experience to heart. “I want to go to college, I want to go to Cal,” he says.

Berkeley senior Cina wants to take the college connection even further. “You should come on a tour of Cal with me,” he tells 5th-grader Jailynn.

It’s all about the connection,” says Cina. “Whatever she’s doing, I help her with. Sometimes we talk about stuff outside of school. I’ll give her my two cents on whatever’s going on, even if she doesn’t want to hear it…” Jailynn starts to laugh, sensing where this running joke is going. “Like what I think about Justin Bieber!”

“Some people don’t have mentors or people to help them out in life,” reflects Jailynn. “I think having a mentor is a privilege, so you have to think and learn and put a lot into it.”

“I never had anything like this when I was in elementary school,” says Berkeley senior Montoya Mayo, who mentors 5th-grader Amya. “It’s just a great experience, getting to build a new relationship. We talk about any and everything. I know Amya’s favorite food is mac and cheese and ribs, and she really likes Silly Bandz.”

Amya is grateful for the academic boost as well. She recently made the semifinals of Oakland Unified’s Spelling Bee Championship, where she was proud to represent her school. “I felt like everybody wanted me to win, for Sankofa.”

“Montoya gives me extra help in all of [my schoolwork]. One on one, you get more attention than [during regular class time],” she explains. “Montoya says she got a scholarship to Cal. That makes me want to have a scholarship, too. I’m thinking about going to Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, or Stanford!”

Listening to Amya, it seems a safe bet that the mentorship experience will have a lasting impact. Not only has it put a picture of college clearly in her mind, but she also hopes to be a mentor one day herself, “so I can meet new people and help younger kids with their work, like Montoya does with me.”

The Sage Mentorship program is creating lasting relationships between Sankofa scholars and college students, but another organization, Experience Corps, is extending inter-generational connections even further. Our next Sankofa Reflections will chronicle this partnership, which is building bridges across generations. (Experience Corps’ volunteers are all 55 years of age and older.)

Sankofa Student Leaders Embody School’s Vision

When you walk through its doors, Sankofa Academy has a different feel – even before you meet a student or staff member. That feel is in what you hear – and don’t hear. First, you’re met by the sound of a small fountain just inside the entrance, encouraging you to take a “mindful breath.” Next, you notice what isn’t there: any sound of disorder. No shouting, no squeak of running sneakers, even in a hall full of students. Then, as happened to this Sankofa Reflections reporter, a 1st-grader politely approaches, unprompted, to stick out his hand and introduce himself.

This is Sankofa, and it’s just a start. When you sit down and talk with students, the motto at right resonates again and again. They epitomize the words “respectful, responsible, and reflective.” “These students represent the beauty and range of Sankofa,” says Principal Monique Brinson of Curtavia, Maceo, Noah, and Sharde, four 5th-grade “elders” who took time out of their day to sit down and share their experiences. “Sankofa feels alive!” “When I first got here in 2nd grade, I felt very welcomed right away,” says Curtavia. “Every time somebody new comes to Sankofa, they feel like they’ve already been here.”

Before Sankofa, Curtavia says, “I was really shy [at my old school]. I didn’t used to talk like this at all. But here I saw how the kids were kind and joyful, and that brought me out of my shell.”

“They see things that adults don’t see or notice,” explains Brinson. “They know they are making this world a better place, and they help me to become my best and be at my best. Our big goal is always to create a community where there’s care and learning.”

“I invite visitors to drop by unannounced,” she continues. “That’s how open and comfortable and transparent I want to be with our community. As Superintendent Tony Smith stated when he visited, ‘Sankofa feels alive!’”

This atmosphere of community echoes in 5th-grader Maceo’s reflections on his “buddy work” with younger Sankofa students. “We’re all nice and understanding and helpful with the younger kids.” “They depend on us older kids to help them be as good as us or even better,” chimes in 5th-grader Noah, who relies on some teaching tips his mother used when he was a child. “It has been a learning process. As I read with them, they start to understand. If I ask them the right questions [like my mom used to ask me], sometime it’s just like snap! -- and they get it.”

The students also pay tribute to the tireless work of their teachers. “In math, at first I was okay but now I’m really good,” says 5th-grader Sharde. “My teacher Ms. Byon really helped me. She takes the time to make sure we really understand. Also, I was kind of low in Science and now I’m getting it. It’s exciting, we’re learning all about solar systems, organisms, things like that.”

The “all for one” atmosphere on campus creates an environment where everyone is learning from everyone else at all times. “Every teacher has taught me, even those not in my own grade,” explains Noah. “They all teach us things to prepare us for middle school and college. The learning here is incredible, rich, and fun.”

As their words suggest, “Our 5th-graders are my examples and my leaders,” says Brinson. “They set the tone for the school.”

“This is my school!”

“Being a responsible leader means being responsible for others and yourself and Sankofa as a school,” reflects Noah. “Ms. Brinson, for example: She’s a responsible leader for taking care of every single child here. Even when she’s in a meeting, she will spend her time to help and go around the whole school -- in class, outside, anywhere -- to see how we’re all doing.”

“Sankofa feels like a family to me and I feel the students and family feel that way too,” says 1st-grade founding teacher Teresa Hart. “I’ve worked in different schools in Oakland and Los Angeles, and I’ve never seen a group of teachers who love their students as much as the teachers here.”

”We do everything we can to make sure we’re reaching the whole child; it goes way beyond academics,” Hart says. “I’m not just a teacher, I’m their counselor, I’m everything that kid needs during the school day.”

Hart speaks highly of Sankofa teachers’ frequent home visits as well. “It just gives us a different outlook on who the children are and where they’re coming from,” she says. “It really builds a sense of partnership, where [the staff] and family can feel like, ‘This is our child’ and we’re partners in giving them the best we can.”

When students have moved away from Sankofa and switched schools, Hart says staff often sees them come back. “They realize the community at Sankofa really cares about their kids,” says Hart,” that we don’t ever give up on our kids.”

“Our young people deserve a place of beauty,” says Principal Brinson. “We have plants, original paintings, not a pot is broken and not a leaf is ripped. They deserve this beauty, and it becomes ingrained in them, and they can proudly say, ‘This is my school!’”

Count Noah among the proud. “I’m glad to know that Ms. Brinson and the teachers have noticed something: that there is poison outside of Sankofa, there is violence, and they are sending the 4th- and 5th-graders to Camp Mosaic to learn how to stop this violence and spread peace. I want to see no violence – that’s how the world should be. I’m hoping Sankofa students can learn this and show peace to the whole world.”

Ever the reflective observer, after these hopeful words Noah turns to Principal Brinson. “You’re holding in your tears,” he tells her.

“I love you guys,” replies Brinson. “Look, you’re going to make me cry again!”

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