By DYLAN LYSEN
The Manhattan Mercury
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — When a Manhattan student and his teacher were both diagnosed with cancer, technology allowed them to continue to be present in class as if they never left.
The Manhattan Mercury (http://bit.ly/1nckKUs ) reports that Tate Reid, an 8-year-old third-grader at Woodrow Wilson Elementary, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, in September, said Amy Reid, Tate's mother. He is six months into a three-year chemotherapy treatment cycle.
Tate has been in and out of the hospital for treatment and is only in class sparingly, but technology provided by the school district helps him get back to the classroom. Tate uses a "double robot" that carries an iPad using video chat software to allow him to see and hear the lesson in his classroom.
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"It's been so helpful, not just keeping up with his education, but when he comes back he keeps up his relationship with his classmates," Amy said.
He can move the robot around the room and participate in class as if he were there.
"It's awesome," Tate said. "Logging in from home is better than no school."
Tate is in his first year in Manhattan, and being able to use the robot to get to class allows him to see his friends.
"I like seeing my classmates," Tate said. "(I like) seeing them instead of being alone and staying at home with my mom all day."
When Tate was diagnosed with cancer, his teacher, Molly Holderness, couldn't understand why a young student had to deal with such a large problem, said Deb Nauerth, Woodrow Wilson principal.
"She said, 'I don't know why this is happening to him, and some way I'll be a stronger person because of Tate,'" Nauerth said.
But in a cruel twist of fate, Holderness was diagnosed with cancer in her toe in December. Holderness, who is in her fourth year at Woodrow Wilson, was worried she would miss class time, Nauerth said.
"She said, 'How am I going to communicate with the kids? I can't be gone that long,'" Nauerth said. "I said, 'You'll double in with them."
When Holderness can, she doubles in with the same technology to teach, while a substitute teacher watches over the classroom.
To deal with the cancer, doctors removed one of Holderness' toes. Recently they told her she has no has traces of cancer, she said.
"Cancer comes in so many different variations and forms," Holderness said. "Some cancers can be so much more invasive with your body, and some can be removed with how they removed my toe."
The seriousness of the news of the teacher and a classmate diagnosed with cancer was not lost on the students, she said.
"My whole class has learned a lot about cancer this year, and they've been strong," Holderness said. "They've learned how to sort through emotions and feelings, and how to be compassionate and sympathetic for others."
The first time Holderness doubled into class using the robot, the school's fire alarm went off. Tate and Holderness were both logged into the double robots for class when everyone was evacuating the building.
"We just logged off," Tate said. "We were just looking at each other and were like, 'uhhhh.'" Although the episode is funny to Tate, Nauerth said she can't mention the importance of the technology enough. The school district owns five double robots to be used in different ways, said Duke Harmon, STEM instructional technology coordinator. The technology was purchased through a U.S. Department of Defense grant, he said. Tate and Holderness's use of the robots is one of the many ways the district hoped to use the robots. Harmon said the district is currently working on a program to allow deployed parents to use the robots to double in and surprise their children in school.
"This was part of the plan, but there are other uses for them," Harmon said. "I have had classes connect with other classrooms on the east coast, and we've had a high school in Kansas City connect with classrooms and deliver science lessons to our students with the double robot."
With her own experience with cancer, Holderness said she values the technology and hopes the district will always be able to provide for the students and teachers of the district.
"My next dream is every student who is battling cancer gets to use a double robot," Holderness said. "It's not just for educational reasons, it's for making friendships and taking pride in their education."
On Wednesday, Woodrow Wilson Elementary School was lined with teachers and students wearing purple shirts for "favorite team" day.
But while some — including Tate — were wearing the shirts and jerseys of their beloved K-State Wildcats, many were showing support with a purple shirt donning a yellow ribbon that proudly supported the best team in Manhattan: Team Tate.
"I feel good because they are supporting me and they are doing everything they can for me to go to school," Tate said of seeing his teachers and classmates wearing the shirts.
After school on Wednesday, the teachers supporting Tate gathered in the gym to take a photo, including Holderness on crutches, who was making her first in-person appearance in school since her diagnosis.
"Who would have ever missed a gym-lunchroom combination so much," Holderness said, hugging Nauerth and holding back tears.
She thanked Nauerth for helping her and Tate during the tough time.
"We have a kid who's so eager to learn and be back in the classroom," she said of Tate.
But without a teacher like Holderness and a student like Tate, it wouldn't be possible, Nauerth said.
"This is education at its finest," Nauerth said. "You have a fabulous teacher who goes so far, above and beyond, to make education happen.
"That's the power of education, when you have the technology you need, that's the impact."
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Information from: The Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury, http://www.themercury.com
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