MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In a time where test scores are seeing some of its lowest results in Memphis Shelby County Schools, Perea Elementary is the site of a new way of teaching, which hopes to get students ready to learn as soon as they enter the classroom.
Tuesdays are a full circle moment for Courtney Smith.
“Perea is just a really special place, to be able to be in this space with teachers that I worked with so long ago, and these children,” said Smith.
After leaving Perea, Smith helped launch Southern Reigns, a center that provides therapy with the help of horses. Now, Smith and the horses are at Perea teaching the students.
“They participate in activities where they interact with the horse while learning. It’s kind of a social, emotional and academic education combined,” said Mary Catherine Moore, Perea Pre-K Teacher.
Every Tuesday, Clyde the Shetland Pony helps provide a more hands-on approach to subjects like reading, math and science, which have suffered a major hit in public schools during the pandemic.
Grade levels in the 2021-22 school year fell below the national average for 4th and 8th grade students in Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
“I created a curriculum based on what they’re learning in the classroom, to help motivate them and reinforce what they’re doing in the classroom in a different environment,” said Smith.
The TEACH program hopes to get students engaged at a younger age, so they will stay invested for years to come.
So far the program has been supported by several organizations like the Urban Child Institute, which focuses on the promotion of the health and education of young children in Shelby County. Smith said if the program goes well it could become available in more schools.
“Our hope is to expand and be able to go into so many schools within the Memphis community to allow this program, whether it be preschool, middle school, or elementary school. Anyway that we can help jumpstart their education, and their love of learning is a win,” said Smith.