2020, the year where everything changed. Everyone experienced this year differently - some experiences were great, while others were really challenging. But in the midst of chaos, there are still things to be grateful for.

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What changed for you in 2020?

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“Initially, I was studying for my IGCSE so that got cancelled and then my entire ending of high school got cancelled.” - Laura, Student

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“Assignments increased. I was exhausted from dealing with all the assignments.” - Yuka, Student

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“I think the pandemic and MCO [Movement Control Order] was so sudden. We [the teachers] couldn’t teach at school and the students, too, couldn’t be at school. We would teach the students for about 3 hours a day, online. It was challenging for us teachers as well as for the students.” - Cikgu Chew Soo Lee, Teacher 

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“We are a boarding school, and students had to stay in the compound [when the Movement Control Order was enforced]. Students couldn’t go back [home].It was quite difficult for us [teachers] to tell them what was actually happening.” - Cikgu Hazwan, Teacher

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What was the silver lining you found from your experience?

“I'm dealing with starting a completely new school. I am really fortunate to have a lot of friends from my law school where I am right now.” - Laura, Student

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“We had many classes on Zoom. We were able to use functions like the breakout clock and breakout rooms, and we were able to have much more discussions than before. And I think I really loved that.” - Yuka, Student

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“We [teachers] learned a lot during the MCO. We have heard positive feedback from parents where students were more independent and they seem to have grown up. They learned to do everything by themselves instead of relying on teachers and parents.” - Cikgu Chew Soo Lee, Teacher 

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“So by showing them [students] real life examples of what is really happening out there like showing them some videos about what’s going on, asking them to read some articles about it [the pandemic situation] - this could help students  be more exposed to what has been happening..” - Cikgu Hazwan, Teacher 

2020’s unprecedented and rapid changes made it clear that we need to begin thinking about what we must do to rebuild our world for a better tomorrow. 

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Join us at Leaps of Knowledge: The HEART Series - a series of free virtual events, aimed at tackling key issues at the heart of education by bringing together parents, teachers, and thought leaders from across the world.