IN FOCUS
HOMEWARD BOUND
Stuck! Mr Andrew Berryman EAL Coordinator
Both boys have shown amazing resilience and determination to successfully navigate the last twelve months.
10
Band of Brothers
W
hen COVID-19 struck in 2020, it created a dilemma for TSS students; stay in Australia and face the prospect of not seeing their families for an indefinite period, or rushing home before borders closed with no timeline for their return. Our two students from Hong Kong, Forest Wong and Hayden Au, both in Year 11, have been studying online for over 12 months while the wheels of government work out a way to allow them to return to TSS. They have similar stories to tell of their experience of studying online. Forest began at TSS in November 2019 but had to return to Hong Kong when the COVID-19 outbreak started shutting international borders in early 2020. He has been studying online since then. He finds the biggest challenge is waking up to be ready for period 1, which starts at 7am in Hong Kong. He has found that if he sleeps in and misses the class, having to catch up on the missed work can be difficult. The time difference has also meant that he must be creative with his breaks, often eating lunch while online during a class.
