[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1583826750614{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Like many schools in Asia, and now around the world, we’re keeping a close eye on COVID-19 updates. With the Thai Ministry of Education mandating quarantines for people coming into the country from affected areas, three students and one teacher from the Arrowsmith classroom had to study from home for two weeks. While it was initially daunting, teachers, students and parents have not just survived but thrived. One of the students even returned and promptly mastered a higher level of the Symbol Relations exercise!

A simple set-up made it possible: laptop, Google hangouts, a webcam and headphones.

Kru LJ Cheng, working from home, was in frequent contact with the quarantined students. He gave feedback and instruction through Google slides, hangouts, text messages, voice calls, and video streaming. Kru Joel Fisher has been taking care of the classroom students and checking in with the quarantined families a few times a day.

For the students in quarantine, it’s taking more discipline and commitment to overcome the distractions of home and workspaces with stunning views! Bravo to their parents who were supervising and trying to manage their own work as well.

A few of the Arrowsmith students at UWC Thailand got a classroom view upgrade recently.

Andrea Edwards: “It was a seamless transition! It’s never going to be smooth sailing having your children at home in this scenario, but the @uwcthailand Arrowsmith teachers have been amazing. We’re really impressed with the boys. They got on with the work that needed doing without too much moaning!”

Another parent was impressed with how quickly the teachers responded to this learning challenge. “They were efficient with setting up not only the [Arrowsmith] program but taking the lead and working my child’s mainstream classes too. The timetable and expectations were set out clearly with regular contact time, including emotional support [because] they knew it could be hard to achieve without being in the classroom.”

Well done, everyone! Great to have you all healthy and back at school.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]