Mentors honor 5 BYU grads

PROVO — Four teachers from an inner-city Washington, D.C., elementary school will be among the thousands who attend Brigham Young University's commencement ceremonies today.

The four women decided to pay their own way to Utah to honor students they mentored this school year through BYU's inner-city student-teacher program.

Five BYU education majors spent a semester just blocks from the White House at Amidon Elementary School, where they and their teacher-mentors say something special happened when white university students exchanged ideas with African-American teachers and taught children who had never had a white teacher.

"We're the best of friends," Amidon fourth-grade teacher Nikki Barber said of her three traveling companions. "We do things together outside of the classroom. Laser tag, dinner, bowling. We bring our spouses and children. Because the BYU students were so friendly and so great and enthusiastic, it was easy to invite them in and have them become a part of that."

Everyone needed a minor period of adjustment, Barber said, but the BYU students "jumped in without fear and had great enthusiasm for the job and learning from us."

Barber and the other teachers who made the trip — Autum Camper, Katina Bryant and Teinsiene Ross — stressed helping the students, often confronted with less-than-positive messages about African-Americans, believe in themselves.

"I think the school is doing a wonderful job," said Kara Petersen, who taught third grade with Camper.

Petersen said each morning's announcements end with the same positive message — "I am somebody. I can be anything. I can do anything I put thoughts and actions forward because I am somebody" — and murals painted on the walls buttress the message.

So do the teachers.

"Positive praise and reinforcement was huge there," said Petersen, who also found a need among the students to have their voices heard.

"Sometimes our students can become very emotional about issues because they feel so deeply about them," Barber said. "It takes time to break through the tough exterior, but once you break through, they love you with open arms."

BYU students shared the latest techniques with the teachers, who shared battle-tested lessons and more.

"They are great teachers, and it's a great honor to have them here for our graduation," Petersen said.

"I've never seen this kind of a bond and this kind of a connection," said Becky Vanatter, who has been the director of the BYU McKay School of Education's Washington, D.C., student-teacher program for four years.