Was it worth it?

"After many months of work and intense collaboration, SISQ is getting closer to one of its main goals: launching the IB Diploma Programme. This feels like the end of a journey: we are still at sea but can very much see land in the distance and we are heading towards it rapidly!

For me, the IB authorisation process has been a very interesting journey indeed, one that I had never taken despite many years of close acquaintance with the IB. I was lucky to start my teacher training in an IB school, where I fell in love with the Diploma Programme. I was fortunate enough to work in some of the best IB schools in the world and to teach three different subjects there - Philosophy, Theory of Knowledge and Psychology. Early in my career, I also started working for the IB Organisation itself, and since then I have been an examiner, taken part in subject reviews, put an IB course online and written a textbook for the IB. I also lead workshops to train IB teachers and I am very active in the IB community, networking with colleagues around the world. However, until now, I never appreciated the rigour and intricacy of the process required to become an IB school: I was inside the IB family, never trying to join it as a newcomer.

As we come towards the end of this journey, some might look at the amount of work, planning, writing and training that has taken place in the last two years, and they might wonder: was it all worth it?

It is during those times of doubt that we have been lucky to have real IB enthusiasts at the helm of this project. For those of us who have worked in IB schools for a long time, the answer in an emphatic and unequivocal “yes, it was worth it!” The reason for this is simple: many educators firmly believe that the IB Diploma Programme is the best preparation students can get for university and their professional life.

One of the main advantages of the IB Diploma Programme is its breadth. Students have to pick six subjects across a broad range of disciplines, which allows them to become well-rounded and not to pick their main fields of interest too early, at an age when they often change their mind. Perhaps more importantly than the subjects themselves is the way they are approached: IB students learn some content, but a bigger emphasis is put on skills such as critical thinking, evaluation, analysis and communication. These skills are reinforced by the study of a seventh, compulsory subject called Theory of Knowledge, a rigorous course that allows students to reflect on the way they acquire knowledge in different disciplines.

As well as the six subjects and Theory of Knowledge, IB students have to write a 4,000 paper called the Extended Essay on a topic of their choice. This exercise in academic writing is often cited by IB graduates as the one that best prepared them for university. Finally, the IB Mission is an idealistic one and aims to educate students who are role-models, global citizens and who are prepared to make the world a better place. This mission is embodied by the CAS programme, which only allows IB students to receive their Diploma if they have taken part in a range of activities designed so that students better themselves and communities around them. Needless to say, developing such high-level skills across a range of subjects and activities is a challenge, and one of the qualities IB students tend to develop is solid work ethics. A growing body of research from independent bodies and universities now confirms what IB educators have known from direct experience: the IB Diploma Programme puts its graduates at a real advantage.

As we embark on the last few weeks of our IB authorisation journey, we cannot wait to accompany students as they start their own exciting, challenging and rewarding journey towards graduation."

Nancy Le Nezet, Director of Studies and DP Coordinator