Year 11 Pastoral Guardian
The support, encouragement, and advocacy you have provided your daughter in Learning from Home has made a huge difference in approaches to school this term. In adapting to her new learning environment you have no doubt been inspired by your child’s resilience, independence and, certainly, her clever use of critical thinking skills. You may be very familiar with your own daughter’s experiences, and I offer the perspectives of other students in the cohort who I am sure will mirror your own daughter’s journey in the past few weeks:
Returning to school recently, along with the rest of the Year 11 and 12 cohorts, has made me realise that whilst Learning from Home was challenging at times, there are also many positives that I gained from the experience. I’m sure others can agree that the frustration and struggles with technology, internet, or communication over the past three weeks have somewhat been alleviated by the luxury of sleeping in and wearing whatever clothes we may desire. Though, in saying this, one of the biggest things I gained from this experience is an understanding of the importance of establishing a set routine, staying active, and taking regular breaks from my studies. Some may view missing their friends as a negative; however, the way I see it, this experience has only made me appreciate my friends (and teachers) even more. Ultimately, whilst it posed many challenges, my Learning from Home experience was a positive one, and I cannot emphasise enough that this wouldn’t have been possible without the support from my amazing teachers and peers (to whom I extend my deepest gratitude).
Olivia Snape, Villa Spada 5
The gain from the Learning At Home experience for me has been more control over my study. Each day I could plan out the classes I would have and make sure I was doing the task asked of to the best of my ability in each subject. Although there were many challenges faced, such as having so many other interesting things to be doing at home - eg Netflix, I became more organised and just realised how privileged we all are at school. Seeing my friends and teachers for the first time after coming back was in all honesty one of the best feelings and I am so grateful for having a learning space at school full of love and engagement.
Chloe Evans, Perugia 7
I think we can all agree the negatives from corona virus is pretty clear, but what about the positives? Specifically, Learning from Home has influenced overall interactions, both online and in person, that continue to be in place after returning to school. For instance, every class or teacher has a better understanding of online platforms, including Microsoft Teams and Notebook, applicable in other areas of learning. Challenges involving technical issues and altered assessment also taught all stakeholders how to solve various problems and inventive thinking. Further, student-directed homework and revision was strongly encouraged, due to the freedom to complete assigned work at our own pace. Although this didn’t deteriorate the standard of work completed due to teacher checkpoints and the ability to see all work completed, that further inspired creative thinking around presentations and overall set-up.
Natalie Kroll, Perugia 8
Learning from Home was a really unique experience that had its ups and downs but ultimately it was one that I enjoyed. I quickly learned that a tremendous amount of self-motivation was needed to get through the school days from home. Self-motivation really made the difference between having a lot of work to catch up and being on top of the workload. Overall, I enjoyed schooling from home and enjoyed the comforts of home but it’s great to be back at school to see my friends, classmates, and teachers.
Lara Meoni, Villa Spada 9
Bridget Piper
