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| Boat classroom offers alternative in time of SARS |
| CCTV.COM 2003-05-25 09:05:02 |
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If you can't have a class inside a room because of the SARS scare, why not take it outside to the open air？ Or go even further, to a boat on a lake. It may sound a bit far out, but that's exactly what some students in Beijing are doing now, in an effort to lessen the impact of SARS on their lives.
It's time for class and SARS is no longer a problem. For the past two weekends, this group of students in China's Peking University have taken their MBA courses out on a ferry boat, as it floats on a lake in Beijing.
The open－windowed classroom is considered a lot safer from SARS than an indoor one, because with air flowing through from all sides, it has constant ventilation. Students say they like the new classroom and enjoy the ride.
"It's quite open. We can feel the wind blowing on our face," said Zhao Fengwei, a MBA student.
"It's the best way for us to do communications and to show that SARS could be overcome if we are just creative enough with our thinking," said Christopher Ngo, a MBA student
And it's not just the students that have benefited. The new setting has also been good for teaching.
"I think I teach them slightly better here. It's a challenge to me and I think they respond better because they are excited about in a boat. So they've reflected to me just the beauty of the setting has an impact on them," said Kate Combellick, MBA teacher.
But could the scenery flowing by distract the students from class？ The answer so far has been negative.
"Because this circumstance can set our minds free and we can have more free discussions and talks. It does not distract us at all," said Huang Jing, a MBA student.
The boat comes ashore once every hour as the class takes a fifteen－minute break. And as it sets sail again, class resumes.
As the SARS epidemic still lingers on, people are coming up with various ways to get around the disease. Outdoor classes such as this are just one example of the effort to return to normal life as much as possible.
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Editor: Han Ling CCTV.com
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