Wilmington principal uses makeshift barbershop to bond with students, one cut at a time

Brandon Ponzo’s feet dangle over the floor from his perch on a lone barber chair. The slight fifth-grader is wrapped in a dark red barber’s cape.

To his left, a cartoon plays on a small TV. He watches out of the corner of his eye, careful to keep his head straight. To his right, two other boys sit on folding chairs, looking over books while they wait their turn.

The clippers whir to life, and Ponzo's barber — who also doubles as his principal — gets to work.

Terrance Newton has transformed a spare room at Warner Elementary School into his personal barbershop. In the afternoons, he pulls a few boys from the final minutes of class and treats them to a fresh cut.

It’s a small deed that shows his students that he not only cares about their education, but also wants them to be happy with themselves and how the world sees them. Newton has been cutting his students’ hair for about 15 years. Using equipment donated by a friend who is a barber, he's now brought his skills to Warner in his first year as principal at the Wilmington school.

To be done well, cutting hair requires both precision and care. Newton meticulously tilts Brandon’s head from side to side, getting his hairline just right. He angles his chin down, making sure the back of Brandon’s hair is clean and even.

The barbershop is a unique time for Newton to interact with his students outside the classroom. The “barbershop talk” that fills the makeshift space is a chance for him and his students to relax, get to know each other better and think about the future.

During this time, he’s their barber, a person they can confide in and seek advice from; a person they can joke around with and re-enact cool basketball plays for.

“When I was coming up as a kid, a lot of things I learned was in the barbershop,” Newton said. “Just the conversations, listening to people talk, listening to their opinions. That’s what I utilize with my kids here.”

No topic is off limits in the small cinderblock room. Newton and the boys jump from this weekend’s basketball game to what they are reading in class to where they want to go to college.

“Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” Newton asks, clippers buzzing away at Brandon’s head.

“The NBA,” Jihad Turner replies, waiting for his spin on the chair.

“And if you don’t make it to the NBA, what’s plan B?”

“I want to be the president.”

“What kind of president would you be?”

“I want to treat everybody how they want to be treated,” the fifth-grader says. “Everybody should be treated the same.”

The boys might not realize it, but every barbershop session is filled with mini-teaching moments. Newton asks them about school and what vocabulary words they’re being tested on that week.

He’s also teaching them to confidently carry casual conversations in a group setting, and how to interact politely with students they might not know too well yet. They’re invited to voice their thoughts and concerns about whatever is on their mind. Newton is there to listen.

“I like to know what they’re thinking, what they’re reading or learning today, and some of their goals,” Newton said. “I think it’s good that we start instilling in our kids the things that they want to do when they get older now, compared to later.”

For now, he only cuts boys’ hair. A haircut-gone-wrong on his daughter has kept him from attempting girls’ hair again. Every student who gets their hair cut by Newton turns in a signed permission form at the start of the year. Then, they’re able to get a clean cut whenever they need.

As the clippers wind down, Newton brushes leftover bits of hair off Brandon's head. Brandon's nose scrunches up as the fluffy brown curls fall down his face.

While Newton prepares for his next customer, Brandon walks over to a mirror in the corner. He smooths his hair down, taking in his new cut at different angles.

“Great,” he says.

Natalia Alamdari covers education for The News Journal. You can reach her at (302) 324-2312 or nalamdari@delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on The News Journal: Wilmington principal uses barbershop to connect with students