The protests in Egypt are hitting home for a group of Arlington Public School students.
The Egyptian government has cut internet service in response to the unrest. As a result, Washington-Lee High School has temporarily lost its Arabic teacher, who teaches the class remotely from Egypt.
A “live” teacher has now been brought in to continue teaching the class.
APS sent the following letter home to parents yesterday.
January 31, 2011
Dear Parents,
The recent events in Egypt have caused a disruption in Internet communications and with the Skype sessions that our students have with teachers from the Arab Academy in Cairo.
We would like to inform you that our Arabic students will continue to receive uninterrupted instruction. The online course our students follow is housed in Herndon, VA and therefore students can access the online material at any time. Ms. Wasan and Ms. Mona, APS Arabic teachers will visit each school in person and continue to provide instruction to our students. This plan will be in effect until Skype communication with Cairo is restored.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Regards,
Pat Teske, Supervisor, Office of Instructional and Innovative Technologies Office
Hildi Pardo, Distance Learning Specialist, Office of Instructional and Innovative Technologies
Marleny Perdomo, Supervisor, World Languages Office