Announcing the School closure on March 12, Headmaster Jones declared that school would be closed for two weeks and acknowledged that we might be out for longer. No one knew exactly how long it would be. He concluded: “I suspect that, especially if the closure is a prolonged one, our professional and personal lives will soon grow more complicated. However, I encourage us all to continue to operate with patience, with trust, and with empathy. In typical Cathedral School fashion, let’s try to make the best of these circumstances and teach our sons through our example.” While it was doubtless a challenging time for everyone, the Cathedral community rose to the occasion. Our academic leaders, Director of Lower School, Kate Juergens, and
were made. Cathedral teachers learned on-the-fly and continued to do what they do so well: connecting with their students and parents, creating meaningful assignments, and continuing their own professional development to best meet student needs during this uncertain time. As families’ employment, finances, and routines were turned upside down, Cathedral became a beacon for families—a place where students and parents gathered virtually two to five times a week. Lower School Chapels, created by Mrs. Juergens and Lower School Performing Arts Teacher, John Walker, were shared with the entire community and everyone was invited to join a synchronous Wednesday All-School Chapel and Friday Hymn Sing. Town Halls were broadcast every Tuesday morning hosted by Headmaster Jones.
have access to technology for distance learning. The cost and logistics were too great a hurdle. Children lost out on their school breakfasts and lunches. Families’ experiences varied enormously based on the circumstances with which their family entered shelter-in-place, how their family was impacted, and by what schools and communities could offer to support their families. Inequities were never greater. The Cathedral community turned to one another. I believe that sense of belonging and connection, along with a thoughtful and well-executed plan for distance learning fostered patience, trust, and empathy among Cathedral families. It enabled families to persevere knowing that they weren’t in this alone. The time and growth demanded of teachers, staff, parents, and students were enormous and grueling, but everyone shifted and adapted with admirable grace. The experience varied student to student, based on the type of learner, the age of the student, and whether an adult was available to support the learning. Christine Chen, a first-grade parent, states that the most challenging part was “trying to replicate the Cathedral kindergarten classroom experience; it was simply impossible.” That challenge held for teachers and parents alike. The Lower School teachers—especially kinder- garten through second-grade teachers—had the monumental challenge of making Zoom calls work for children who were generally not ready for them. For the youngest students, calls and assignments required an adult to be involved to manage. There were often younger siblings around who had very little to keep them busy. Ms. Chen says that she was most grateful for “the structure of having a schedule so we could better organize our day. The kindergarten teachers (Emy Gelb and Liz Johnson) and Mr. Walker’s willingness to allow little sis Audrey to participate during classes made such a difference.” Grateful first-grade parent Lindsay Olshan echoed those sentiments when she wrote to Ms. Gelb and Ms. Johnson, “The unexpected gem of this whole thing was how you both wrapped your virtual arms around (our younger son) Luke and included him in your lessons. It was so heartwarming to see (both of our sons, Charlie and Luke) huddled up together and hear you calling on him. That has left an indelible mark.” Librarian Alli Decker says that when she read stories aloud to her students, “the boys would be in bed, snuggling with their pets, or cozy on their couch. Often younger siblings joined us.” In the Lower School, school became a family affair. The family affair extended to parents who had the time and ability to often get more involved in school work than they had in the past. Third-grade parent Max Glynn writes, “I had to work closely with my son for distance learning. We definitely had many heated moments of mutual frustration, but overall the experience was positive. I cherished the time we had
Director of Upper School, Chad Harlow, working with Instructional Technology Teacher, Jimmy Santosa, and IT Manager, Hayley Richards, researched options for distance learning. They rolled out a thoughtful and intentional plan. For the first two weeks all teaching and learning was asynchronous (assignments were posted online via written instruction or recorded video, students worked independently, and submitted work back to
Director of Development, Jim Schmidt, and Assistant to the Headmaster, Harrison Wilkes, began hosting weekly trivia games to brighten up our Sundays and give everyone a chance to connect. The Cathedral community was extremely lucky to be located in a city and state that transitioned to sheltering in place very quickly and had a very low infection rate. To my knowledge, no immediate
“IN TYPICAL CATHEDRAL SCHOOL FASHION, LET’S TRY TO MAKE THE BEST OF THESE CIRCUMSTANCES AND TEACH OUR SONS THROUGH OUR EXAMPLE.” – HEADMASTER JONES
Trevor Lam ‘23 in Distance Learning mode
working together, and it renewed our relationship. The teachers also consistently had my back if we ran into challenges.” Parents and teachers—especially of the younger students— created new working relationships as they collaborated. Many parents spoke of their new found respect for the teachers and the work they do. Sandra Salcedo, parent of a recent eighth-grade graduate, wrote, “I was always grateful for the teachers and coaches. I have always admired the job teachers and coaches do at the School, but I was so grateful for their job more than ever.” Parents employed outside the home struggled to balance their own work with that of their children, especially younger children who needed a lot of attention. Essential workers didn’t have the luxury of managing what was happening at home. They confronted tough choices about their health and that of their family, holding on to their jobs, and managing child care and their children’s needs during a time of great uncertainty. For those parents for whom work shifted into the home, the usual tug of war between conflicting demands was exacerbated. Parents balanced their own Zoom calls with those of their children, managed schedules that didn’t always align, and tended to the multitude of emotions children experi- enced over the course of the day. Parents became assistant teachers, daytime cooks, technology support, and after-school childcare providers, along with all of their other responsibilities. Children were often left to problem solve on their own, or abandon that which they couldn’t figure out. Work poured into the nighttime hours after the children went to bed. Some of our own Cathedral faculty members were balancing the same challenges: teaching their students, while finding piecemeal solutions for their own children in the absence of childcare. Parents balancing outside work and managing young children were taxed by the circumstances.
family members of our community were diagnosed with COVID-19, but extended family and friends were impacted and suffering was all around us. Economic disparities, often cutting across racial lines within our country, were exacerbated as jobs were lost and essential workers were not given the luxury to opt out of interacting with the general public. People living within close quarters and with less access to healthcare were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The shuttered shop fronts, tents on sidewalks, and empty streets were reminders of how dire the situation was. In the midst of profound need, Cathedral benefited from being such a well-resourced institution. Students in 2nd–8th grades already had assigned iPads. We were able to provide one to any kindergartner who needed one. The School could count on each student having access to Wi-Fi because we provide it to families that don’t have it. There was no delay in resuming classes, and classes continued as full-days. Food from our lunch provider Acre Gourmet was sent home to families who needed it. Aaron Mullen, Director of Inclusion & Student Life, spent time checking in on families. But this was not a universal experience for families within our city or our country. In many places, classes could not continue for students who did not
teachers). Two weeks into distance learning parent-teacher conferences were conducted. In the third week, teachers began to transition to a combination of asynchronous and s ynchronous learning (synchronous learning entails “live” lessons via Zoom or other tools). Six weeks into distance learning, a survey was sent out to families to find out how the programming was working, and programmatic adjustments
Creative Ingenuity: Kent Rosenfeld ‘21 uses his 3-D printer to create mask straps.
14 | CATHEDRAL SCHOOL FOR BOYS
FALL 2020 • RED & GOLD | 15
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