The problem of the transition to winter and summer time for a single Skype school
On March 28, at the Khabraseminar, Ivan Zvyagin, the chief editor at Habr, advised to write an article about the everyday life of our linguistic Skype school. "People will be a hundred pounds interesting," he promised, "now many are creating online schools, and it would be interesting to know this kitchen from the inside."
For seven years, our Skype language school exists, with the funny name GLASHA, and seven years twice a year, our operators work in the work-up mode.
This annual nightmare is connected with the change of time in different countries.
')
The fact is that teachers and students of our Skype schools live in 26 countries on different continents.
Accordingly, in usual time we try to arrange them in the schedule to the teacher one by one, so that it is more convenient.
The teacher sends us his availability, for example like this:
And when there is a new student who can take lessons in the specified slots, then we put him in the schedule.
Thus, students from Russia, Israel, Canada and France find themselves together in a teacher’s schedule, which, for example, lives in Brazil.
They do it calmly until the time of Maurice, the teacher himself, time changes to winter time, that is, to mid-February.
How to find out when in Brazil will transfer time to winter? Very simple:
The full wording is: “the third Sunday of February, except for the cases when it accounts for Carnival”.
This year, apparently there was a carnival, since the transition happened suddenly on February 17.
After receiving the information from Maurice, we should, in theory, move the entire “Babylonian” team of students one hour later. Or suggest that Maurice give lessons for them an hour earlier.
In the case of Maurice it turns out, cheers! In the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, SĂŁo Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, EspĂrito Santo, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Bahia and Distrito Federal, one could sleep a little longer.
Fortunately, our other teacher, Englishwoman Rachel, lives in another region of Brazil - Rio Grande do Norte.
Despite all the carnivals, the time there for the winter does not change. Lucky.
Until November 3, the time for the transition of some parts of Brazil to summertime, you can relax if Maurice does not leave for China or returns to Holland during this time.
However, with Alessandra, who lives in Australia, the miracle did not happen, she can only stick to her tough winter schedule. And the winter in Australia has just begun. Therefore, all her students have to move for one hour. This requires a lot of time and effort, as some students are engaged in work, and for junior students the time of circles and sections is clearly defined.
In winter time, residents of New South Wales and Victoria began to work and live, the capitals of which are Sydney and Melbourne. Now the difference with Moscow time there is plus 7 hours. Similarly, the time changed in Canberra and Tasmania.
And wherever the fate of our students and teachers is throwing!
A single student, Masha Zelenina, lives with us in the west of the continent in the state of Western Australia. There, time does not change, so the five-hour difference with Moscow continues to remain.
Time does not change in the Northern Territory - the difference with Moscow time was 6 hours and a half. But in the state of South Australia, the clock hands were transferred an hour ago, and now the difference with Moscow time will be 6 and a half hours.
So, the winter in the southern hemisphere started. A couple of weeks you can live in peace.
Daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday of March at 02:00 in the USA and Canada, and back - at 02:00 on the first Sunday of November. Not only Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
In Canada, time does not change in Saskatchewan. Huge hello to our teacher Brown!
Arizona does not translate clocks (but the transition is carried out by Americans from the northern part of the state).
In the middle of March for two weeks we change the schedule of students from Russia and European countries, since at the end of March, the time in Europe and the USA with Canada will be correlated.
This usually happens on the night from Saturday to Sunday, but before that, on Friday, Israel switches to summer time. Since on Saturday night there is a religious Sabbath.
Accordingly, we must make small shifts for Friday lessons before the global shift for 500 students on Sunday.
Many Skype schools probably use some built-in systems for automatic transfer of time and notifications for students and teachers, but I cannot imagine how automatic systems can be used in our case.
Since each student needs an individual approach. For example, one student can take classes late at night, while others can not concentrate at 18.00.
Despite the fact that we are turning upside down and asking other students to move, some of the students have to change teachers every time.
This means the organization of additional test lessons, psychological discomfort and disruption of the educational process.
Students and teachers usually attach to each other and do not easily agree to replacements.
In March 2019, all EU member states last switched to summer time, and by October of next year, each EU state will have to decide for itself whether it will remain in summer time or switch to winter time.
It looks like this innovation will add us a headache.
In addition, the Russian government all the time makes proposals to return to daylight saving time. This is in addition to the fact that in 2016 the Astrakhan and Saratov regions of Russia, as well as Ulyanovsk, Zabaykalsky Krai and Sakhalin changed the time by an hour, in 2017 they were joined by the Volgograd region.
Fortunately, Japan, China, India, Singapore, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan do not change time
And even the exact time sites are not always able to make updates to their programs.
In addition, over the years we have learned that there are countries where the difference with Moscow is not an hour or a half, but India is +2.5 and Iran is +1.5
So problems with coordination in time can sneak up where they were not expected at all.
We always check the skill of accurate timing at interviews with new operators, and their number is constantly growing. It is very disappointing when the lesson breaks down due to the fact that the difference with Moscow and Kazakhstan was considered in the wrong direction. Fortunately, this rarely happens.
Currently, you can choose the best teachers from all over the world, and you can work on any convenient schedule, but behind this convenience is the hard work of Skype school operators.
For seven years, our Skype language school exists, with the funny name GLASHA, and seven years twice a year, our operators work in the work-up mode.
This annual nightmare is connected with the change of time in different countries.
')
The fact is that teachers and students of our Skype schools live in 26 countries on different continents.
Accordingly, in usual time we try to arrange them in the schedule to the teacher one by one, so that it is more convenient.
The teacher sends us his availability, for example like this:
And when there is a new student who can take lessons in the specified slots, then we put him in the schedule.
Thus, students from Russia, Israel, Canada and France find themselves together in a teacher’s schedule, which, for example, lives in Brazil.
They do it calmly until the time of Maurice, the teacher himself, time changes to winter time, that is, to mid-February.
How to find out when in Brazil will transfer time to winter? Very simple:
The full wording is: “the third Sunday of February, except for the cases when it accounts for Carnival”.
This year, apparently there was a carnival, since the transition happened suddenly on February 17.
After receiving the information from Maurice, we should, in theory, move the entire “Babylonian” team of students one hour later. Or suggest that Maurice give lessons for them an hour earlier.
In the case of Maurice it turns out, cheers! In the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, SĂŁo Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, EspĂrito Santo, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Bahia and Distrito Federal, one could sleep a little longer.
Fortunately, our other teacher, Englishwoman Rachel, lives in another region of Brazil - Rio Grande do Norte.
Despite all the carnivals, the time there for the winter does not change. Lucky.
Until November 3, the time for the transition of some parts of Brazil to summertime, you can relax if Maurice does not leave for China or returns to Holland during this time.
However, with Alessandra, who lives in Australia, the miracle did not happen, she can only stick to her tough winter schedule. And the winter in Australia has just begun. Therefore, all her students have to move for one hour. This requires a lot of time and effort, as some students are engaged in work, and for junior students the time of circles and sections is clearly defined.
In winter time, residents of New South Wales and Victoria began to work and live, the capitals of which are Sydney and Melbourne. Now the difference with Moscow time there is plus 7 hours. Similarly, the time changed in Canberra and Tasmania.
And wherever the fate of our students and teachers is throwing!
A single student, Masha Zelenina, lives with us in the west of the continent in the state of Western Australia. There, time does not change, so the five-hour difference with Moscow continues to remain.
Time does not change in the Northern Territory - the difference with Moscow time was 6 hours and a half. But in the state of South Australia, the clock hands were transferred an hour ago, and now the difference with Moscow time will be 6 and a half hours.
So, the winter in the southern hemisphere started. A couple of weeks you can live in peace.
Daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday of March at 02:00 in the USA and Canada, and back - at 02:00 on the first Sunday of November. Not only Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
In Canada, time does not change in Saskatchewan. Huge hello to our teacher Brown!
Arizona does not translate clocks (but the transition is carried out by Americans from the northern part of the state).
In the middle of March for two weeks we change the schedule of students from Russia and European countries, since at the end of March, the time in Europe and the USA with Canada will be correlated.
This usually happens on the night from Saturday to Sunday, but before that, on Friday, Israel switches to summer time. Since on Saturday night there is a religious Sabbath.
Accordingly, we must make small shifts for Friday lessons before the global shift for 500 students on Sunday.
Many Skype schools probably use some built-in systems for automatic transfer of time and notifications for students and teachers, but I cannot imagine how automatic systems can be used in our case.
Since each student needs an individual approach. For example, one student can take classes late at night, while others can not concentrate at 18.00.
Despite the fact that we are turning upside down and asking other students to move, some of the students have to change teachers every time.
This means the organization of additional test lessons, psychological discomfort and disruption of the educational process.
Students and teachers usually attach to each other and do not easily agree to replacements.
In March 2019, all EU member states last switched to summer time, and by October of next year, each EU state will have to decide for itself whether it will remain in summer time or switch to winter time.
It looks like this innovation will add us a headache.
In addition, the Russian government all the time makes proposals to return to daylight saving time. This is in addition to the fact that in 2016 the Astrakhan and Saratov regions of Russia, as well as Ulyanovsk, Zabaykalsky Krai and Sakhalin changed the time by an hour, in 2017 they were joined by the Volgograd region.
Fortunately, Japan, China, India, Singapore, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan do not change time
And even the exact time sites are not always able to make updates to their programs.
In addition, over the years we have learned that there are countries where the difference with Moscow is not an hour or a half, but India is +2.5 and Iran is +1.5
So problems with coordination in time can sneak up where they were not expected at all.
We always check the skill of accurate timing at interviews with new operators, and their number is constantly growing. It is very disappointing when the lesson breaks down due to the fact that the difference with Moscow and Kazakhstan was considered in the wrong direction. Fortunately, this rarely happens.
Currently, you can choose the best teachers from all over the world, and you can work on any convenient schedule, but behind this convenience is the hard work of Skype school operators.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/446378/
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