Within a week, just as faculty, administration, students, and families dispersed all over the world for the Chinese New Year break, everything fell apart. The COVID-19 reality soon settled in, and thus the administration abandoned their breaks in favor of generating a Distance Learning Plan from scratch. With major administrative forces such as Mr. Marcel Gauthier, Dr. Benjamin Lee, Ms. Kristen Dickhaut, and Ms. Emily Sargent-Beasley pioneering SAS efforts in response to the crisis, versatility and flexibility became traits of high demand. Experience from SARS and H1N1 outbreaks were belittled by the sheer reach of COVID-19. Now, after around three months of campus closure, online learning is the new norm for students of all grade levels.
The Distance Learning Plan was and is in a constant state of change. The need to create something new was a significant challenge. “Our first iteration of distance learning plan had to be versatile to let us adjust, change, and learn as we went along,” said Gauthier. After drafting the plan, the administration presented it to teachers for feedback and preparation. “Admin was open to hearing concerns and suggestions, and the plan has always been a “living” document subject to revisions,” said Jeremy Gertzfield, a SAS Pudong High School English teacher. Dr. Carlos Adelantado, a Pudong High School biology teacher, agreed. “From the very beginning, teacher input was actively sought.”
Still, the drastic shift from a high-touch, in-person education model to one that is completely online caught almost everyone off guard in more ways than one. “We all got into education because we are committed to and love working with young people,” said Lee. “We chose to come to a school like SAS because it had that high touch, in person ,daily contact with smart, interested, inspiring teenagers. And we feel, very deeply, the loss of that.”
Set on an unpaved road towards indefinite online learning, both the faculty and administration experienced waves of stress and uncertainty. For one, fragmentation on multiple levels reached an all-time high. “This challenge is not unique to our school, but many of our students and families have left China for the Chinese New Year break expecting to be gone for a week, then had their time away extended over and over again,” said Lee. Several faculty members did not bring their laptops and textbooks. IB teachers were faced with the reality of having to upload all IB work instead of select samples when the majority of them had left said IB papers in their momentarily inaccessible classrooms.
For the ones who did have access to technology, things did not get much easier either. “From the moment we started Distance Learning, having a regular work schedule became a challenge,” said Adelantado. “Due to time difference, I was receiving emails all day and it was really difficult to find a time to close my laptop.” Gauthier and Lee both acknowledge difficulties in the time differences as well. The administration, at times, had to wake up for calls as early as 4 AM and stay awake for calls as late as 10 PM to accommodate different time zones.
As teachers are struggling themselves, they are also hyperaware of students struggling in their classes. Every teacher is trying to be sensitive towards their students’ needs and limits. “There has been, and continues to be, a learning curve for teachers as well as for students,” said Gertzfield. Behind the scenes, teachers grapple with learning and executing a new education system at the same time while meeting with their colleagues to ensure uniformity in practice and providing consistent student feedback. As testified by Lee, “the bulk of our faculty are working really hard, and are working longer hours than they usually will.” Gauthier adds on, emphasizing that, “the amount of time that this kind of teaching and learning takes is much more difficult to maintain, especially because it is new – there is no chance to turn off.”
To effectively inform students and parents of the SAS community, new forms of communication were called for. “We had to find ways for students and parents to feel our empathy and love for our community,” said Lee. Echoing this point, Gauthier elaborates on the need for improving communication when the community is not together. “Our previous ways were not adequate. We had to adjust and communicate to make sure parents understood the choices we made.” Periodic email updates, virtual parent coffees, and continuous Schoology updates were what students and parents saw; but behind each hosted event there are hours of conferences and planning that only shows in each final product.
Aside from challenges in timing and online learning, ambiguity remains a constant point of stress. “For a long time, we have not had really solid information on which to plan or have some sense of certainty,” said Lee. “I think that’s, psychologically, very difficult for people – not knowing what’s coming.” The ultimate decision in reopening is not in the hands of the SAS administration. Gertzfield also acknowledges this, saying that “any decisions about a return to campus come from the government, and the school is following guidelines and instructions that the government provides.”
Without any hints or leads, the administration plans for hours on end without any idea if their plans will come to fruition. “We have no idea where the banks of the river are,” said Gauthier. “Many schools, particularly international schools in a similar situation as us, are stuck in this conundrum.”
Yet, the faculty and administration are still confident in their ability to overcome fragmentation and unite in support of one another. Faculty and administration bond over their gratitude for each other, for their students, for the people around the world cheering them on. “It’s important to recognize that while this situation is far from ideal, its success has depended on the work of everybody involved, not just the teachers,” said Gertzfield.
In his virtual classroom spaces, Adelantado has been reminding his students about three things: the power of social interaction, the importance of proper rest, and how to use this time to reflect. “This is a time to reflect and channel positivity, gratitude, and compassion. This situation is affecting all of us, so we need to be understanding.”
“As a head of school,” Gauthier said, “I’m extremely thankful for a leadership team around the world that has united with their teachers in an incredibly challenging time. They have been taking on challenges one after another.” This note is a nod towards every single member of the SAS Pudong faculty and administration involved in the process. High School Vice Principal Dickhaut said, “I want to make sure during this time of the unknown we can still connect as a community no matter we are in the world.” Gauthier’s testament of faith and gratitude most definitely applies to colleagues like Dickhaut who provide endless support in times of crisis.
“Everything we’ve done, every choice we’ve made has been to focus on the type of learning we believe and know is best for students and will ultimately serve their path forward,” said Gauthier. “We hope that our students will experience that.”
As the administration continues drafting extensive plans for a hopeful campus reopening sometime after May 6th, Pudong Press hopes that their efforts will come to fruition. Lee, along with the rest of SAS’s leadership team, wishes to make the crisis more bearable and normal as time goes on, for this, too, shall pass.
“We look forward to getting back with you all on campus and celebrating all the learning everyone has done in this semester.”