Andy Vaughan
andyv@isb.ac.th
It is hard to believe that after months and months of planning by many dedicated teachers, support staff, contracted companies and administration, that GCW will finish up this weekend! The first of our trips arrived back late last night and the last will land in Thailand on Saturday night.
Over the past week I’ve had a chance to visit some of the trips in Southern Thailand, which has been a great experience. The opportunities that our students get on these trips are incredible and the memories they have formed this week will stick with them for a long time. The enjoyment and engagement of all the students on the courses I visited was testimony to the worthiness of GCW.
Our goal is that there remains a common theme of developing an appreciation of the cultural and environmental richness of our world. Some of our trips are heavy on the service aspect while others build on developing a cultural understanding and environmental appreciation of the destinations each course visits, whether this in Thailand or abroad. Our students have interacted with other students whom they may not have known prior to this trip and have been led by teachers whose class they may not have been in.
This weekend, please take the time to listen to your child’s stories and help them reflect on the learning that they have encountered during GCW. On 15 March each GCW group will meet for the final time and reflect on their trip. Students will hand in their reflections during or prior to this final GCW meeting; please encourage your child to complete this over the next week or two while this experience is fresh in their minds.
I would also like to thank all our teachers for all they put into this week to make it so special; the time they have dedicated and the time away from home to provide such a great opportunity to all our students is invaluable.