This post is the second installment of a series about the fabulous care the operations teams at every BASIS International Schools campus have taken of our teachers and staff during the coronavirus health situation. In this piece, we recognize the outstanding efforts of the BASIS International School Guangzhou operations team.
Have you ever grown a crop of tomatoes?
In fact, what have you nurtured from seed to maturity?
I planted bird seed once, still waiting for that pigeon to grow…
Here are BASIS International School Guangzhou Operations Team’s (BIGZ Ops) Top Five Tips for growing and maintaining a full-ripened BASIS International Schools teacher.
1) More sun = greater growth
Like many, I stood for a few hours in a behemoth of a queue at the airport returning to Guangzhou in March 2020. After three hours, arguments were breaking out ahead as tired travelers complained to white-suited medical personnel of hunger, fatigue, and confusion. Luckily, I had Erica from BIGZ Ops steadily beaming positive messages and logistical plans into my phone. It was 1 a.m. but the sun still seemed to be shining.
2) Enrich the soil
Tomatoes thrive in rich, well-draining, slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.5 – 6.8. Apparently, so do I. As part of the Music Department, Arts Department, BASIS International School Guangzhou faculty, and BASIS International Schools network, I’m embedded in some fair and fertile communities. Whilst many of my friends and family at home are feeling the crush of unemployment, I have had the gift of financial support from Ascend Education Group. Money isn’t everything, but it’s the nutrient rich fertilizer that allows people to extend their shoots into otherwise barren territory.
3) Timing is everything
Gardeners are master time-keepers; they inherently know when to sow, when to clip, when to water, when to harvest. The BASIS International School Guangzhou Operations Team arrives precisely when they need to, usually with a big box of cherries or on WeChat, with a morning health report request from Assistant to the Head of School Xinni. They are there when you need them.
BIGZ Ops delivering groceries to teachers in quarantine.
4) Prune those beauties
Pruning promotes air circulation, prevents disease, and focuses the BASIS International Schools employee’s energy on the fruit of labor. The BIGZ Ops Team does all those little jobs so we don’t have to. Whether it’s delivering breakfast, lunch, and dinner during quarantine, Phoebe’s purchasing order requests or translating messages, we as educators are all able to focus on providing the highest quality teaching and content for our students.
5) Ripen indoors
The lush colour that signifies a ripe tomato comes from warmth, not light. Keep your BASIS International Schools employee in a warm, safe environment to ensure they are protected.
We have all toiled in different ways, being indoors for such a long time, but let’s not forget the countless vital workers battling the fierce and unpredictable great outdoors for our benefit and safety. Just like the great outdoors, our faculty niche is not an isolated, self-propagating unit. The work of our BASIS International School Guangzhou Operations Department ripples through to our individual students and their families. Ultimately, we as a BASIS International School Guangzhou community all want them to feel nurtured and grow stronger in a less stressful world.
Samuel Warne, Music Subject Expert Teacher, BASIS International School Guangzhou
Read the first part of the series here.
