“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.”
feedback for students. I never thought I would record myself teaching lessons and I had never heard of Zoom. Within the span of a week I was doing daily Zoom classes and daily videos of me teaching concepts to the kids. Shout-out to Mr. Santosa and Ms. Richards for helping us during that transition and fielding the many questions I would ask about Zoom or other apps!” The learning curve was steep for everyone. The hardest part for children and adults alike was not seeing one another day in and day out. Ms. Rieger lamented, “One of my favorite parts of teaching is the energy and connection created in our classroom community.” For a school built around relational teaching, everyone struggled to not be able to be face-to-face. Ms. Murray reflects, “Replicating the personal connection between teachers and students was perhaps the most challenging (and heartbreaking) aspect of distance learning. Synchronous sessions using Zoom were awkward for most boys, especially younger boys.” Mr. Walker concurred: “The most challenging part was not being able to read body language and get instant non-verbal feedback from students.” While they articulated it differ- ently, students also struggled with the limitations of video calls. Ms. Murray concludes, “I found that creating asynchronous videos (using Zoom as a recording tool, as well as the Zoom touch-up feature) to teach mini-lessons helped add a little personality and some of that connection. The boys could watch the video more than once if needed.” Teachers made imperfect tools work and figured out how to make connections under less than ideal circumstances. Necessity drove new projects for students and inspired new ways for the boys to draw upon and express their creativity. Ms. Rieger said that a favorite project of hers was “our second- grade writing projects! Our Poetry Study was really fun and was a great lens into how the students were doing with a lot of room for creativity. It culminated in a ‘Poetry Slam’ where the second graders were able to share one poem they wrote and a poem by a famous poet they admired. These were incredible to share with the whole class, and the boys loved it! We also did a research project on different animals and used Nat Geo Kids as a resource. The students picked an animal and became an expert through books, websites, and articles. They gathered data and wrote incredible books that they were really proud to share with each other!” Students became more proficient with technology themselves and gained independence, allowing them to dive deeper into subjects and create work that they were very proud of. Some of those students even became tech support for their parents. Jimmy Santosa, Instructional Technology Teacher, created a project that drew upon his love for and deep background in music. Mr. Santosa reflects, “A project that allowed me to connect with students was the Maker’s Orchestra. Lower
P.E. @home
School boys were invited to build musical instruments from materials found at home. Students and specialist teachers met weekly over Zoom to talk, laugh and share their instruments. Teachers also made instruments, and everyone recorded a video to accompany the song This Little Light of Mine . It was an enjoyable time for students and teachers to be together.” Sean Breen, Upper School Performing Arts, saw tremendous results when the students submitted work to him that they were able to work on in their own time. Mr. Breen says that he grew as a teacher as “I realized that my creativity can be expressed in so many ways, from creating animations to creative solutions to tech issues.” Mr. Walker says that he is grateful for “technology and the unlooked for opportunities and solutions it presented, which I will continue to implement once the pandemic ends.” The best assignments were those that allowed his students to compose and create. He loved “receiving dozens of videos of students performing, singing, and dancing uninhibitedly.” He was stretched in new ways and says that he “learned to be more and more confident in my musical skills, and other skills that ostensibly didn’t seem to apply to my job, but that became essential to what I do, and how I connect with the community.” He concludes that the experience was “significant, essential, and lasting. I am grateful to distance learning for helping me to grow in ways unlooked for.” Many of these lessons will endure. The growth was happening simultaneously for students and their families. Shipley Salewski, Trustee and parent of a third grader, Gray, says she was most grateful for “the extraordinary compassion and humanity of the teachers, who brought their whole selves to their ‘classroom’ every day, and made my son feel connected to and grateful for his school experience.” Every single one of his teachers touched Gray from afar. Ms. Salewski reflects, “I have certainly never felt more connected to—or grateful for—CSB than I do now. I know the teachers better, see the genius of their instruction more clearly, and treasure the values even more. It’s hard to say you feel grateful for a time that has been such a hardship for so many, but I do feel it. My relationship with my son and this school will be shaped by this experience for the remainder of his time at the School.” Ms. Salewski says that she remained connected to the school
by “attending Chapels, Hymn Sings, and also through volunteer roles. Working side by side with others who care about the same school and values always makes me feel connected.” Ms. Salewski agrees that the technology piece was hard, “having to manage the iPad, the Zoom calls, the screen time, the unmonitored access to YouTube.” But “Gray loved his (second-grade project) ‘All About’ book, which he wrote about grizzly bears. It was the first time I’ve seen him independently researching, and the first time I had seen him go past what was assigned in a writing assignment. He was exhilarated!” Upper School students generally managed their distance learning independently—but it varied from student to student, depending on their circumstances. The schedule shifted as the Upper School faculty found the best balance between academics, the arts, and physical education. Consideration was given to ensure that they boys weren’t on screens all day, but also recognizing that was the only way to have immediate feedback. Teachers and administrators quickly recognized the importance of providing boys with the tools to help them organize themselves, and schedules for maintaining a sense of normalcy. Eighth-grade parent Stephanie Lehman recounts, “Pivoting to distance learning was certainly an adjustment for all of us. The first order of business was finding a location in the house
First-Grade Co-Lead Teacher Tracy Murray reflects that while the shift to distance learning presented many new challenges, some of the positives were that she was forced to prioritize the skills that are most important for her students to learn. Some boys thrived with self-paced assignments for which the boys could choose how long an assignment would be and how to work on the assignment. Ms. Murray, like most teachers, learned beside her students. “We were forced out of necessity to embrace technology in a way that we never had before. While Seesaw was a tool that I had very little basic knowledge of prior to distance learning, it has now become a technology platform that I feel quite adept in using and plan to continue to use even after we get back on campus.” Kelli Rieger, Second-Grade Co-Lead Teacher concurs, “(Prior to distance learning) we used iPads a couple of times a week in the classroom so we were proficient with a couple of apps like Seesaw, Flipgrid, and Book Creator. The transition to solely rely on iPads for teaching was challenging for everyone (students, teachers, and parents) and also an area of substantial growth. We are now experts on at least five apps that allowed us to continue learning and give immediate
Photo Caption here. Dominic Sohn ‘26 listens Mrs. Juergens during Lower School Chapel
16 | CATHEDRAL SCHOOL FOR BOYS
FALL 2020 • RED & GOLD | 17
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