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Wednesday, March 25, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
SOUTH KOREA: Sisters
native and her family
are educators abroad
Continued from page 3
Sisters School District, is a
Health and P.E. instructor in
the middle years program,
grades 7-10.
In an interview via email,
the McNairs talked about
their experience with govern-
ment response, lockdown,
testing, school closures and
online teaching, while also
offering words of wisdom
and encouragement to their
friends here in Sisters who
are beginning to experience
the same changes in everyday
life due to the virus.
Nugget: When did you
first discover that this virus
was going to change the way
of life in South Korea? Where
did information come from?
McNairs: We started
hearing things about the
virus a few weeks after
Christmas. We have many
teaching friends in Shanghai
as we taught at Concordia
International School before
coming to South Korea. We
were hearing their stories of
being on Chinese New Year
and not being able to return
to work in Shanghai due to
the outbreak. In the beginning
of February is when it started
to hit South Korea in Daegu,
which is south of Seoul. With
how efficient public transit
is and the number of people
that travel within Korea on a
regular basis we had a feeling
it was only a matter of time.
The Ministry of Education
and Government provided
most of our updates along
with alerts we would get
on our phones daily, which
tell you where cases were
occurring.
Nugget: What did you
witness as the government9s
response to the arrival of the
virus for you in Seoul?
McNairs: The govern-
ment took action seriously
and quickly. The Seoul
Metropolitan Office of
Education (SMOE) and our
school were in daily contact
about recommendations for
how to proceed daily. Testing
was implemented quickly and
efficiently with many testing
sites available and mobile
testing also became an option.
Nugget: What was it like
for you once the schools shut
down for you and your fam-
ily? What are you doing with
your own kids?
McNairs: As a few
International schools shut-
down we had the oppor-
tunity to meet as a staff to
plan what our virtual roll-
out would look like for the
upcoming week. We did not
initially know this would last
longer than a week or two.
Fortunately, we live on cam-
pus, so our kids are able to
get together with other staff
kids daily for activities, learn-
ing, and general support. We
were able to then pour more
effort into virtual learning
seeing our kids were taken
care of, which we know is a
daily challenge for families.
Nugget: How are you
dealing with your jobs? Can
you explain how you are
delivering education to your
students? How is that work-
ing? Do you have any sugges-
tions for us here in Sisters?
McNairs: Virtual learn-
ing is dynamic and challeng-
ing as it9s not just putting it
out to students and being
done, but constantly evaluat-
ing feedback from students
and troubleshooting different
platforms. As time goes on,
procedures change, but as you
become comfortable with one
method it9s good to experi-
ment with other methods
to reach a variety of learn-
ers. Through programs like
Google classroom, Flipgrid,
Seesaw, Zoom, Google
Meets, we9ve been able to
reach students here in South
Korea and around the world.
Days are spent collaborating
with colleagues while still
delivering lessons and giving
feedback, which would not be
possible without using multi-
ple platforms.
One thing that has made
this transition easier is that we
were already using Google
Classroom and Seesaw on
a daily basis, so kids were
familiar with where to ini-
tially access information and
seek feedback.
Our advice to schools
in Oregon trying to figure
out how to do online educa-
tion is to not <recreate the
wheel,= keep things very
simple to start, and when
the students and families
become accustomed to how
you run your classroom and
give feedback, you can then
slowly implement other ways
to keep learning interesting,
and to engage your learners.
We have noticed that through
weeks of virtual learning
motivation can deteriorate, so
keeping virtual chats positive,
and checking in often (using
Zoom) truly helps students
know you care. In early child-
hood, it9s important to help
not just the kids but the fami-
lies create a routine to main-
tain consistency in their day.
Nugget: From your per-
spective, was South Korea9s
response as a country effec-
tive/reasonable? Do you have
any sense of how to compare
it to what is happening in the
U.S.?
McNairs: South Korea
was very effective consider-
ing there are over 13 million
people in Seoul alone, and
society is still able to func-
tion fairly well. Costco and
store shelves are stocked,
we9re able to get what we
need on a daily basis, and
people are respectful of per-
sonal space and not hoarding
goods. Our international air-
port (Incheon) has the abil-
ity to screen passengers, is
well maintained, and a highly
efficient airport. We can only
compare what we9ve heard,
and it9s more important that
people minimize risks to the
elderly and sick by not taking
chances that may possibly
overwhelm the medical sys-
tem. From what we9ve seen,
by the time you say there are
only a few cases in an area
it has already spread beyond
measure. Each week offers
new challenges, and being a
great neighbor is of utmost
importance in times like this.
Nugget: Any words of
wisdom for us here in Sisters
who are just now adjusting
to school shutdowns, restau-
rants and bars closed and only
essential workers going into
their jobs?
McNairs: Remember kids
aren9t as resilient as we may
think they are and discuss this
process in a thoughtful and
measured manner. This virus
is not something to fear, but
something to respect and take
head-on through responsible
personal actions. Personal
hygiene is as important as
the professionals say, so heed
their warnings, and use cred-
ible sources for information.
When this pandemic does
pass, go the extra mile to sup-
port local establishments, join
as a community to celebrate
the many blessings of being
alive, and remember that love
and peace will overcome fear.
We love you Sisters, Oregon!
The McNairs cautioned
that though things have
improved greatly in South
Korea, they know they are
not <out of the woods= yet as
far as the virus and its impact
are concerned.
Anna said, <We still have
new cases in the double dig-
its daily in Seoul, and had a
recent case in our own neigh-
borhood. We are expect-
ing our current situation to
remain part of the accepted
norm.
Nugget: What else would
you like to share?
McNairs: With summer
approaching, our discussion
of returning to the U.S. has
been at the forefront of our
daily thoughts and prayers.
This is a time to rejuvenate,
connect with friends and fam-
ily, and enjoy Oregon. It is a
true privilege to have this
time as an educator, but more
important is that we all sup-
port each other through this
challenging and unknown
time. Take time to love those
around you, appreciate the
value of personal health, and
breathe that fresh mountain
air. A virus knows no race or
ethnicity, and we worry this
has taken attention from the
matter at hand.
" Anna9s mother, Cindy,
lives in Bend and the McNairs
hope to be able to visit Sisters
this summer during the break,
but understand things, includ-
ing travel, are uncertain.
<We love Sisters and its
people and hope that every-
one gets through this crisis as
well as possible,= she said.
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