Colin Huth
ABOVE: Karen Lovelace, playing a math game with secondgraders Ian Schulz and Alice Haney, was the recipient of the 2017 Hershey Distinguished Faculty Award. Lovelace retired in June after a 25-year career at Durham Academy.
F. R O B E R T S O N H E R S H E Y D I S T I N G U I S H E D FAC U LT Y AWA R D
Karen Lovelace Fulfills Promise of the First Three Syllables of Her Name By Gib Fitzpatrick, Middle School Math Teacher
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reat teachers lead with care and love. Caring for their students and loving their work are core values for all life-changing teachers. This year’s recipient of the F. Robertson Hershey Excellence in Teaching Award leads with care and love quite literally. Karen Lovelace’s teaching career has fulfilled the promise of the first three syllables of her name, profoundly enriching the lives of her students, their parents and her colleagues in the process. The spirit Karen kindles in her classroom is famous at Durham Academy for its warmth and enthusiasm — her students know they have joined an inclusive, safe community. One colleague says, “When you walk into Karen’s classroom, the sounds of joyful noise resound.” Another says, “Just step into that Dandy Lion classroom and you will see the magic — it’s pretty incredible.” She is a master at fostering a sense of community among her students where they feel supported by and responsible for each other. Karen also realizes that kind of environment only propels students forward when it is combined with high expectations and rigor. It takes a special teacher to create that kind of balance for her students, and Karen has perfected it. Her students trust her, and that faith allows them to venture beyond their comfort zones. Karen knows that real learning only occurs when students take risks and feel a sense of earned accomplishment, and she creates an environment in her classroom where that can happen regularly. Of course, Karen is adept at this because she lives it, too. Venturing outside of her comfort zone has become her calling card at DA. From her willingness to explore completely new programs and curricula like Reading and Writing Workshop and Responsive Classroom, to her commitment to understand her students 28
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and their world better by attending the National Association of Independent Schools’ People of Color Conference and UNC’s World View program in Brazil, Karen personifies DA’s goal to foster a community of lifelong learners. As she puts it, “That’s what keeps you vibrant and excited and learning.” Even better, Karen uses those experiences to improve the whole school. In all of the examples above, she returned to campus invigorated and ready to share her new ideas. Her enthusiasm prompts one colleague to say, “She has been a catalyst for transformational changes that our division has made to our collective teaching practice.” It is difficult to imagine how different the Lower School would be without Karen’s leadership and passion for lifelong learning. And as the Responsive Classroom model has moved with students into the Middle School, her influence continues to grow. Thirty-eight years of working with children includes a whole lot of influence on parents, too. Karen is well-known for her commitment to establishing positive, candid relationships with the parents of her students, even setting up extra conferences early in the year to build trust and communication. She fearlessly tackles the difficult conversations just as energetically as the fun ones, and parents rely on her for advice that goes well beyond school issues. One parent says of her conversations with Karen, “She is willing, ready, and genuinely invested.” Her colleagues benefit from her investment in others just as much as her students and parents do. Karen works hard to get to know new teachers while also cultivating relationships with longtime colleagues. Her thirst for learning and love for teaching make her a wonderful mentor and friend, one who puts her whole self into her work and her relationships. As one colleague puts it, “She often mentions how much she has learned from the new or less experienced teachers at DA — I really admire that about her. It speaks to her character, openness, and her ability to always put her students first.” Another says, “Karen is an active listener who is genuinely interested in getting to know others and in understanding different perspectives.” Ultimately, though, a life in teaching means a lot more work hours spent with children than with adults. One advantage of a long career is that those children become adults, and relationships with them change and deepen. Karen delights in that aspect of her work and is a fixture at DA events featuring her former students. She has even attended their weddings and helped them celebrate becoming parents themselves. Karen promotes not just lifelong learning with her students, but lifelong love. It is only fitting that Karen earn this recognition at the conclusion of her teaching career, because her work’s trajectory is as spectacular as it is rare. With each passing school year, her energy, curiosity, empathy, generosity, vulnerability and selflessness have grown even faster than her students. And with her commitment to sharing her care and love with the many people around her, of all ages, she leaves an enduring legacy for the entire Durham Academy community. EDITOR’S NOTE: Gib Fitzpatrick was the 2016 recipient of the F. Robertson Hershey Distinguished Faculty Award.