Peter Welch Director
One of the social effects of the pandemic is that time seems to telescope. PreCovid days and the events of much of last year can seem a long time away. So, it is heartening to write this review and recall the future planning that we did as a community during the last academic year, 2019-20. These great discussions involved all the distinct voices in our community. Through focus groups, presentations, surveys, and inspirational talks, we challenged our community to go back to the most essential questions for education: How do you believe that the world we are preparing our students for is changing? What skills, knowledge, and mindsets will our students need to be successful in this changing world?
DIRECTOR’S REVIEW At AISB, what should we do more of, or less of, or start doing for the first time? The thoughts and ideas in response to these questions gave rise to our new vision for AISB:
We aspire to be a creative, courageous, & compassionate learning community. It is remarkable to reflect that these core values arose from our conversation before the pandemic overtook us. These values could not have been more relevant and important during these past few months. Since last March, our educators have had to reinvent their craft
for both online and adapted learning. I am extremely appreciative of their creativity on a daily basis. Our students, too, have had to reinvent themselves as learners in these times. Their courage and the resilience of our families has been extraordinary. Above all else, these anxious times have affirmed our basic belief that taking care of one another, dealing with each other with compassion and kindness, is central to the human heart of education. Since the spring we have been preoccupied with keeping the community safe and adapting our programmes. Even so, behind the scenes, the professional team kept the faith in this vision and worked to put our new strategy in place. We need to move beyond words to concrete actions that enhance and update the student experience at AISB.
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