Bridging the Distance

Community Voices: Kate Newman

Sometimes things that aren’t that perfect to you can end up being very surprising and very beautiful in a different way. A second-year student in Sky Class recorded this in response to an assignment on May 26 as a very long, challenging, uncertain, and exhausting school year was winding down. The words have been on loop in my head ever since and impeccably describe my experience teaching in the era of COVID-19.

The transition to remote learning and imposition of social distancing was abrupt and jarring. I am accustomed to spending my days surrounded by playful, spirited, silly and thoughtful six- to eight-year olds. I felt overwhelmed and dismayed at the prospect of connecting to my students over Zoom and SeeSaw and lamented the loss of my close relationships with them. I was unable to fathom how I would maintain strong ties to my students over a screen. With time I found that Covid ended up allowing me, the children, and their families to become more wholly human and relate more deeply.

The digital learning platforms Zoom and Seesaw allowed us to enter each other’s homes and share intimate details of our lives. Despite my selfconsciousness, I allowed myself to become vulnerable that first week when I recorded a video of my dog scratching up the window pane she uses as a look-out. I invited my students to help me find a way to protect my window pane, while allowing my dog to still peer out the window. My students not only offered clever solutions, but lovingly embraced the opportunity to see more of my life and reciprocated by warmly welcoming me into theirs. We were able to acknowledge each other on a human-to-human level.

We connected over the silly things our pets did, shared photos from our gardens, and traded ideas for connecting with friends and family. I laughed alongside Mila after her sister lovingly thwacked her with a box as we read together. Then the three of us chuckled when their dog, Hatty, barked after hearing my own dog bark out the window. I saw photos from Alex’s parents’ wedding and listened to a three minute recording of Augie talking with her grandpa. Oliver shared a video of a huge Lego creation and Kate created artwork for my dog, Sandy.

During my years of teaching, I’ve seen some raw and honest expressions of emotion, but many children reserve these displays for family members. Seesaw transformed this pattern by allowing my students to record videos for me whenever they wanted — sometimes messages of grief, loss, and uncertainty. I was then able to respond through the platform with a message of comfort, holding my own sadness alongside a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity to witness such a personal moment.

To my amazement, distance learning strengthened our ties by inviting us all to share our whole selves and embrace our shared humanity, whether it’s a barking dog or feelings of loneliness. Although teaching during a pandemic is far from perfect, Felix is right, it is beautiful.

Kate Newman is a Sky Class teacher in the Lower School. She joined us in 2018. Originally hailing from Brooklyn, NY, she studied elementary education at Duke and later received her Masters in special education from UNC. Kate is a member of Durham Friends Meeting.

Kate Newman is a Sky Class teacher in the Lower School. She joined us in 2018. Originally hailing from Brooklyn, NY, she studied elementary education at Duke and later received her Masters in special education from UNC. Kate is a member of Durham Friends Meeting.