Ram Migration

The effort that went into getting our teachers back to Guangzhou was paramount. The behind the scenes work by the Human Resources department of numerous phone calls, documents to process, policies to interpret and meetings were all pursued with “stubborn optimism” that proved beneficial when the borders did open for a short time that allowed teachers to start arriving in the late fall.

Not knowing when our teachers could return, the school proactively planned to have support in the classroom by hiring 18 temporary Learning Mentors. Learning Mentors were instrumental to the learning that was happening in the classroom as they served to be the bridge between the teacher and the student to help them both be successful. Many would agree that without the Learning Mentors, the state of our student’s learning, as well as the well-being of our teachers, would have resulted in a very different outcome.

When teachers were finally allowed to enter Guangzhou, the unpleasant news of the mandatory two-week quarantine in a government approved hotel was alleviated by knowing that their stay was fully supported by a personalized Quarantine Support Team. The team was made up of a combination of personnel from Human Resources and our pTA. They were on call to help with any questions and also supplied the hotel room with necessities, special gift packages, and food deliveries. The details that went into the care of our teachers and their families during quarantine is truly exemplary of our connected community and what it means to be a part of the RamNation.

A true highlight of the year was seeing the return of our Rams, teachers, and students to campus over the course of several months during the school year. Upon each person’s return, the energy on campus kept growing more positive. Important to mention are those who were not able to return to campus and had to remain online for the whole school year. While their migration is still ongoing and we are hoping they can eventually make it to Guangzhou, they have taught us a great lesson on resilience and how important it is to stay connected and support each other despite the physical distance.