IB, UB, WeB Finished!!!

Two years ago, the Fougs forced me to do something I adamantly did NOT want to do. Because I love her, I eventually gave in. I'm talking about teaching IB(International Baccalaureate).

Folks compare IB to Advanced Placement, the difference being that in AP, the students get to choose to take AP English, history, psychology, chemistry, or whatever course at which they excel. IB students have to take ALL advanced core courses - in all areas - even in their weak subjects. The really awesome AP students generally take 4 or 5 AP tests at the end of the course. Most opt to take 1 or 2. IB students sit for 14 or more exams (lasting anywhere from 1-3.5 hours each), plus orals, plus an extended essay (similar to a Masters thesis), and they have to complete 150 community service hours (CAS). The exams are mostly essays and short answer, including the math ones. Oh, AND they may choose to take the AP exams as well. My students had 3 straight weeks of IB testing. (!)

Needless to say, IB is an incredibly difficult programme, but just being a candidate for the IB diploma is an automatic entrance to the honors college at several universities. Many of my kids have awesome scholarships AND they have the opportunity to go to school anywhere in the world. All of this if offered even before the exam scores come back (Their tests are marked all over the world! For my class, one paper was sent to the UK, the other to Brazil).

Basically my students are amazing for even trying, but I also have to give props to the teachers. The diploma program is two years worth of curriculum, and we've had to step-up our teaching methods, reinvent wheels, and learn, along with the students, how to survive the IB. I am ecstatic to report that our first group of 21 guinea pigs is finally done with exams. We won't know their scores until July 6th, but we had our celebration for them Friday night where they received their IB stoles for graduation.

My students made a confessional video about surviving the IB experience (shown to all who attended the celebration, including the principal, parents, and members of the school board). You may view it (hopefully) at the end of this post. It is 8 minutes long and is edited poorly (sorry it was my first attempt at movie making), but shows the caliber of student that we had.. and it shows that they are still goofy kids.

Thanks for making me teach IB, Fougs! It was so worth all of the blood sweat and tears.