
DATE: Wednesday, April 30, 1997             TAG: 9704300502

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A6   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: SUFFOLK                           LENGTH:   73 lines

SUFFOLK KINDERGARTNERS COUNT ON PEER TEACHERS TO HELP WITH BASICS

After the blackboard lessons, Leslie Ralph asks her students to return their chairs to the table.

Then the 10-year-old teacher commends their obedience.

``I definitely want to be a teacher,'' says the fifth-grader, one of 18 members of Alice Welsh's Robertson Elementary School class who are teaching kindergartners who are having difficulty.

Across town, at Kilby Shores Elementary School, some students can tell you that el leon roars, el raton squeaks, el conejo hops.

On their own, the children are learning Spanish - thanks to Lakeland High School sophomore Heather Lilley and junior Sherry Gwaltney, who spend an hour with them each Monday as volunteer teachers.

``Spanish is easy to learn,'' third-grader Juanita Copeland says. ``I can carry a little conversation, but I can read better than I can talk.''

At the end of the year, Sherry says, they'll have a big birthday party - in Spanish.

``These are smart kids,'' Heather says. ``They pick everything up as soon as we do it.''

At Robertson, the older boys and girls show up for 30 minutes each Tuesday and Thursday, each of them working with two children.

The program, started three months ago, will continue through the school year.

``Both age groups benefit,'' Welsh says.

The little ones learn by paying attention to their young helpers, and they enjoy the older children. The older ones gain from the experience.

Gail Hobbs, a kindergarten teacher, cites the example of a formerly struggling student who now is doing ``much, much better in numbers and letters,'' thanks to Sean Harris, 10.

He and the other teaching youngsters devise their own methods of instruction.

``I go to the children with a sheet and ask them if they know what the letter is,'' Leslie says. ``If they don't know, I mark it and go over it again later.''

Angela Woods uses puzzles with numbers. When Quanisha Watson puts her puzzle together, it elicits an encouraging ``yeahhh!'' from her helper.

Joey Davis, computer instructor for the day, holds John King's fingers, guiding them over the keyboard. The screen notes that they are at Suzy's Pet Store and that pups are on sale. John has to count them.

He gets the numbers right, and Suzy nods approval. So does Joey.

``These little kids don't know much stuff,'' he says. ``They know some things. The things they don't know is what we teach them.''

Leslie is convinced the little ones should be rewarded - with candy - for learning.

``Candy's not the answer,'' Welsh responds.

They compromise: No candy, but extra playground time. MEMO: Four other Suffolk elementary schools are involved in peer

teaching.

Booker T. Washington: Fourth- and fifth-graders serve daily as peer

tutors for students in kindergarten through third grade, helping them in

reading, writing and mathematics.

Oakland: Twice a week, fifth-graders serve as peer computer

assistants for kindergartners and first-graders. They also serve as

daily Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Early Start classes.