据不完全统计，2021年春节期间全国约有1亿人，在“疫情防控，减少流动”的倡导下，选择就地度过一次不平凡的“春节“。作为一所大型“学习者社区”，相信燎原原年人的故事，将成为另一种“教材”，以帮助他们理解这个世界的骤变，让我们跟随这些老师和家长，一同听听“原年人”的故事。
According to raw statistics, approximately 100 million people across the country chose to spend an extraordinary "Spring Festival" during 2020, under the provisions of the “Epidemic Prevention and Control, Reduced Mobility".
The teachers and parents of Shanghai Liaoyuan Bilingual School have joined the team of "Original Chinese New Year People" and are sure to leave a lasting impression on the students of the school, both in terms of their role and their support for the epidemic.
As a large "community of learners", we believe that the stories of the Liaoyuan people will serve as another "teaching tool" to help our learners understand the sudden changes in the world. Let's follow these teachers and parents and listen to the stories of the "Original Year People".
Q：Many teachers were unable to leave Shanghai this year due to the pandemic, what was your first reaction when you heard the news? How did you feel?
A：Of course I was disappointed because I missed my family back in South Africa but I have made Shanghai my home so I was happy to stay here too.
Q：What were your plans during the Spring Festival? What changes had occurred due to your stay in Shanghai?
A：As I couldn’t go back home to South Africa, I stayed in Shanghai and enjoyed all that the city had to offer. I took the time to relax at home with my cat. Some of my Chinese friends invited me to their homes and shared with me the traditional dishes of the Chinese New Year.
Q：In your opinion, how did it help staying in Shanghai?
A: I think that having the time to relax and recharge at home has helped students and teachers return to school with even more focus and determination for the second semester.
Q：If the pandemic persists, what are your preparations for teaching?
A：Should we have to return to online teaching I feel confident and prepared already having experienced it this time last year. Be it in the classroom or online the learning outcomes will remain the same!
Q：Many teachers were unable to leave Shanghai this year due to the pandemic, what was your first reaction when you heard the news? How did you feel?
A：I think I was quite mentally prepared already because we've been regularly reading updates on Covid-19. We had already predicted that we might not be able to travel abroad, but it still was a big disappointment because we had a 4-week vacation, which is a good enough time, like for myself, home for me is India and my daughter is studying in Canada. Visiting them during this would have been great, although I am looking forward to it for next year already (I am optimistic!).
However, I had lots of fun in Shanghai. I went out to have dinners with my colleagues and friends. We went out shopping, we did one day trip to Disneyland. That was a lot of fun.
Q：What were your plans during the Spring Festival? What changes had occurred due to the stay in Shanghai?
A：As for my plan, I would have loved to visit my family, but that definitely got changed. I celebrated Spring Festival with my Chinese friends. On the new year eve, we did all the traditional things, cooked traditional Chinese food at my place. Then, on the following day, on 12, I celebrated with my Indian friends. So, yeah, that was basically getting to meet people and spend time with friends.
Q：If the pandemic persists, what are your preparations for teaching?
A：Since I'm not teaching this academic year, we discussed about other things. So, if the pandemic persists, it does impact us a lot. We recently got authorized to offer the IB Diploma Programme, and we want to promote the programme and inform the community about our plans and preparations for its implementation. We want to do a lot of events for prospective students and their parents. But we are always flexible and can adapt to all possible scenarios as needed.
