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Jun 11, 2020

#128



The end of this school year is, to say the least, very unique and contrasts sharply with the typical end of year thoughts (some of which were shared in my June 7, 2018 blog, The End of the Year and my June 13, 2019 blog, End of Year Thoughts).

During a recent webinar (I believe it was The Inquiry Educators Summit), there was a  reference (I do not recall by whom it was made) to the notion that during these unusual times there is a heightened awareness of the need to focus on what to cherish, change, and chuck.

It seems apt to reflect on these last few months through this lens with regard to day to day practices.


Cherish:


  • I cherish that despite the stress and pressure of the lockdown period, it has been a time of introspection and reflection of practices on a personal and professional level.

  • I cherish that during this time deeper connections with friends, family and colleagues have been fostered and that (generally speaking) kindness and compassion has been increasingly abundant.

  • I cherish that - as a lifelong learner - I have (especially as this is a staycation summer) increased time to read and reflect on both a personal and professional level: (I) I will draw on anti-racist resources curated and shared in my June 2020 blogpost Knowledge + Empathy + Action, and research further, so as to challenge the racial inequalities and discrimination that exist in the larger community and (II) I will read professional texts cited in both my January 2020 post, Reflections and Intentions and, more recently, in April 2020’s post, Listening and Learning



Change:


  • Despite our campus, per Malaysian government restrictions regarding Covid-19, being closed since March 17, 2020, we have continued to communicate with prospective families via email as well as administered virtual tours and admissions assessments via Zoom and subsequently enrolled students from Kindergarten to Grade 10 in our on-line learning programme and also offered places to those looking for entry in the 2020/2021 school year.

  • As a result of observations made during the time our team was working remotely, we have made some changes regarding day to day practicalities with the view to increased efficiency and accountability.



Chuck:


  • The notion that tours and assessments have to happen on site during office hours. As shared in my April 2020 blog, Admissions in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, rather than only meeting with and administering assessments on site, we will offer both on-campus appointments and virtual appointments. This mixed model will best serve our prospective families and especially those living overseas and for whom an on-site visit is not always feasible and particularly during these times when travel restrictions and quarantine requirements are in place.




As you come to the end of the semester and reflect on this - the strangest of times - and consider how to best improve your practice as you look ahead to the next semester, what would you cherish, change, and chuck?



References:

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