“Kate Newman is an absolute inspiration of an instructor. She taught me IB English / Literature my senior year of high school and to this day I value the conversations she proposed to the class, enhancing our lives with thought provoking content.

With a liberal arts degree, Newman encouraged my fellow classmates and I to annotate literature to such great extents we would end up questioning the system at whole beyond the text.

Growing up, I often accepted things for as they were, but Newman’s lessons have created a deeper thinking process in my day to day life, something I value deeply and carry with me as I navigate my early twenties. One of my favorite aspects of learning under Newman’s instruction was the fact that if I came to her with a first draft of an essay, no matter the content, she would offer me an alternate point of view, allowing me to keep an open mind in my writing when I might only see one direction with my work.

Therefore I feel I really strengthened my literary skills; now, I brainstorm numerous propositions rather than just one potential point for my pieces and while that may sound ambiguous, it actually opens doors to more opportunities for me. Despite the intense workload a senior faces their final year of high school, Newman continued to offer insight and guidance that gave me confidence when I felt like giving up. There would be times I felt an assignment wasn’t “A-worthy”, but I quickly realized this was not the point of studying literature.

For that reason, I strived to do well for Ms. Newman because she was one of the few teachers who saw me as a human first and a student second. I personally value this sort of interpersonal connection because I find it enriches my education when I feel comfortable around and supported by my instructor. You want the person teaching you to root for your success and Newman is an honest woman who never failed to devote her attention to her students.”

Jaida, class of 2020