Finally, the schools start opening and slowly our lives are going back to normal. On February 15th, the public and some private schools welcomed their students. But in order to stay safe and avoid the chance of getting infected by the Coronavirus, GZAAT came up with a different plan. Every week, starting from Monday, each grade will have an opportunity to visit the school on certain days, talk with teachers, and have some activities. The first meeting of 9th graders has been successfully held. To find out more information about the event, I interviewed the 9th grader, Mamuka Zodelava.
Interviewer: What were your expectations about visiting the school? Did it turn out how you expected?
Mamuka Zodelava: After so much time being online I was very excited to go back to school. However, I didn't set many expectations, just a few of them: I will meet my friends, have a great time, and get to see how our school handles regulations during the pandemic (Even though I knew the answer would be: Perfectly). Also, I was eager to try out sitting around the Harkness Table, since we have never had this experience before.
Interviewer: What did you do at school?
Mamuka Zodelava: At first my group went to the gym and others were at the cafeteria, our advisors presented regulations and rules that we must follow at school. After we got divided into two advisories, our discussion about Covid-19 transitioned to our advisors' rooms. We discussed the benefits and flaws of online teaching and chose the model of opening the schools after the March holidays that we consider is better.
Interviewer: What are your overall thoughts about the visit?
Mamuka Zodelava: Overall, it was a GREAT experience getting back to school, seeing all the friends that I haven't met for almost a year, adapting to new circumstances, and having fun!
Interviewer: Are you looking forward to going back to school?
Mamuka Zodelava: Of course I am looking forward to going back to school. Because in my opinion, even with regulations and strict rules, it is much better to sit around the Harkness Table than sitting at home and attending all the classes online. This way of teaching is better because it helps us be more social. We don't know our teachers properly, I am not even mentioning Harkness Table and all the benefits of high school!
Seeing friends, talking with teachers, hearing different stories, and playing games in advisories were what made the majority of the students' day brighter and happier. It’s hard to follow the regulations and keep the distance all the time, but it's for our and others’ safety and we should understand that. Here are other student’s comments about the meeting: “The measures for safety were followed which was nice. The environment was really different, but having everyone under one roof and not online was good.” “It was very nice conversing with a few teachers and friends, the constant distance and volume control constricted me from enjoying the get-together, but it’s necessary for us and we will adapt to it.” “I really loved the meeting, I had a lot of fun especially during the advisory meeting.” Overall, the students are pleased with this idea and are looking forward to more days at school. I hope that these meetings will sort of creating the missed school spirit and time by time as the situation gets better, we will have an opportunity to go to school every day!
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