[portfolio_slideshow id=15642]
The Tyrone Smith Revue, featuring Tyrone ‘Super T’ Smith is known for performing before diverse crowds over the past 40 years and has been featured nationally on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Morning Show, Inside Edition, Entertainment Tonight, the White House for former President Bush; to a more personal occasion performing for President Bush daughter, Jenna’s wedding. Despite his national notoriety, Super T is known in Nashville as a strong proponent of education. Being a former educator for many years here in Nashville at Cameron Middle School in the heart of the inner-city, he took advantage of the opportunity to give back with a powerful performance at Kirkpatrick Enhanced Option School inspiring young people through movement and music at the T-CAP Testing Celebration on May 1.
Kirkpatrick Enhanced Option School which is scheduled to be converted to Kipp Academy is known for having an innovative physical education program provided by Ms. Dawana Boone, an educator for 18 years at Kirkpatrick who invited Smith.
The most interesting part of this performance is that Tyrone ‘Smith-Super T,’ was Ms. Boone’s physical education teacher when she was an elementary student at Moses McKissack.
As Boone and Smith reminisce with great excitement, Boone said: “I remember Mr. Smith as an energetic performer even as my physical education teacher. He inspired me to not only become a physical education teacher, but encouraged me to look for ways to bridge and broaden their educational experience through fun and creativity. So I work hard with my students to cultivate their talents and gifts while boosting their self-esteem and inspiring them to learn. Prior to ‘Super T’s’ stellar performance, the Kirkpatrick students performed a T-Cap Rap for the entire student body written by Ms. Boone.
“I wanted my inspiration to see the evidence of the fruit of his labor in me as a teacher,” Boone said smiling.
“When I was an educator-I knew it took more than the standard to capture and inspire our students,” said Smith. “They were responsive to me because they knew I cared about them and their futures. Teacher–student relationships were and are now vital to student performance academically.
“When I taught Ms. Boone when she was in elementary school at Moses McKissack, I nicknamed her ‘Peewee,” said Smith, “because she was the smallest child in my class and I have called her by that name since she was in the 1st grade. Ms. Boone is surely an inspiring teacher as I looked on as she and her students performed the T-Cap Rap—thus inspiring the entire student body.
“If I can inspire my students to take advantage of the opportunity to learn while enjoying the process, stay out of trouble and encourage parents to support their children, then I feel accomplished as an educator,” said Boone.
Apparently the influence Mr. Smith ‘Super T’ has had on Ms. Boone’s style of teaching was evident as Boone and her students performed a classy but sassy T-Cap Rap enjoyed by a packed house of parents and community supporters. Super T, then followed with a powerful performance, hyping the crowd, and bringing students and parents to their feet as he engaged students—giving many an opportunity to share the stage.
