Stonehill International School participates in NEASC’s Global Virtual Forum on “Planning for a Successful Start during COVID-19”

Bengaluru: The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), an independent, voluntary, and non-profit membership organization, which connects and serves over 1500 public, independent, and international schools in the U.S. and worldwide, is currently holding a series of webinars on COVID-19 resources for its member schools. Stonehill International School is a NEASC Accredited school which exemplifies Stonehill’s globally recognized standard of excellence.

Last week, NEASC held a Global Virtual Forum on Planning for a Successful Start, to share practical tips to help teachers prepare for back-to-school operations in the midst of the evolving pandemic. Jitendra Pandey, MYP Coordinator, Stonehill International School, the only Indian on the panel, was invited to share his ideas and perspectives, along with teachers from public, independent, and international secondary schools from across the world.

The webinar addressed challenges on managing a safe and effective restart of school operations. The panellists spoke about how they are preparing differently this year and how supporting mental health is key amongst the teachers and students.

According to Mr. Jitendra Pandey, MYP Coordinator, Stonehill International School, “Educators need to be open-minded and adaptable as they continue to learn. The pandemic has created opportunities for us to transform the nature of education in the future. I believe that the nature of assessing students need to be meaningful, more frequent and creative. Teachers need to find creative ways to gather evidence of student learning and understanding. Mental health is another important issue and a support system is needed to reach out to the entire community of parents, students and teachers. The experience of distance learning is often impersonal and faceless and it is vital that teachers reach out to vulnerable students when face-to-face contact at school is not possible.”

These webinars serve as a resource and support in the interest of helping NEASC members and the wider school community stay informed and prepared during the global pandemic. Jim Mooney, Deputy Director, NEASC Commission on Independent Schools said, “It is in the community of colleagues that we will find the strength to move ahead.”