Are we Ready?
Philip Burrett ponders over a pertinent question
An IB workshop was held recently at New Delhi, which
SMD and I attended, and the reason why I let you all know this is to gently
remind all that the IB Diploma at Doon is slowly moving towards the goals
set; if all goes well, The Doon School will undergo an inspection in August
this year, and we would then be in a position to start teaching the Diploma
in April 2007.
In the next few months, parents will be spoken to and interested students
will receive counseling. Teachers are being trained, the library is slowly
being stocked and the IB Office is gradually taking shape. Unseen by most,
people on and off the campus are making this happen.
The International Baccalaureate was developed in post-war Europe (Geneva
being the head office), and amalgamated the educational systems of three
countries: the British system that stressed on depth, the French which
stressed on breadth and which included the study of philosophy, and the
American pattern that believed in choice. Thus the IB has 3 subjects at the
higher level, 3 at standard level and the study of The Theory of Knowledge,
with a wide choice of subjects to choose from.
The workshop in Delhi was more than IB training for us. We felt that the IB
mission statement is something that the entire school needed to reflect
upon.
We realized that good education was about both aptitude as well as attitude,
which, in simple words, means that getting 95 % and walking out of school
with the wrong values and attitudes doesn’t constitute an educated person.
Charles Crawley, who was in Doon on a a gap assignment from Groton in the
US, explained once that cheating, lying and stealing were considered the
greatest iniquities at his school. Boys could get expelled for violating the
code against any of these three. The IB, too, with its stringent emphasis on
‘plagiarism’ and stress on proper values, ethical behaviour and academic
honesty, corroborates the Groton code of practice. If a Dosco was to be
granted an IB diploma, then some of the qualities that the (bac)
Baccalaureate would want to see in a pupil would be his sensitivity,
open-mindedness, spirit of cooperation, sense of caring and compassion,
tolerance, creativity and concern for the environment. The Diploma will ask
whether the boy is reflective, balanced, takes risks, can think creatively
and whether he can communicate lucidly. When we look at Doscos today I feel
that somewhere, some of these wonderful values are being eroded by our
competitive sport, the sometimes unfair means in the examinations and
project work, and a breaking down of plain, simple trust. The unfair
treatment sometimes dished out to juniors, the raiding of lockers, the
avoidance of healthy contact with adults on campus and the ever-growing
propensity to waste time and avoid speaking the truth, only makes one wonder
whether we are ready for the IB.
Another major stress of the bac is on internationalism. The Doon School has
always been at the forefront in student and staff exchanges, Round Square
conferences and projects, and about 40% of our students settle in well at
universities abroad soon after the ISC. One wonders if all this really
constitutes internationalism or whether this is simply a way of socializing.
Internationalism has more to do with compassion and empathy with people of
different cultures as well as a spirit of tolerance. Given an option, would
a student choose to go on a student exchange to Southport or Tiger Kloof and
would a Dosco go for a RSIS if there were no points to be gained? How many
times have we heard derogatory remarks directed at boys from certain places,
or who do not conform to the latest fashion, or who have a certain accent?
These are questions worth pondering over.
The bac also expects mature time management and judicious use of spare time
by the student, at his discretion. There are essays, projects, research, to
be completed, field trips to be done, forms to be filled, deadlines to be
met: while at the same time studying for six subjects, to do a demanding
exam at the end of two years, not forgetting the 4000 word Extended Essay,
the 10-topic Theory of Knowledge course and a commitment to the CAS
(Creativity, Action and Service) programme. This could mean an entire
paradigm shift in the way a Dosco uses time.
If the current Dosco finds elective English at the ISC demanding, let him
bear in mind that the IB requires him to read between 11 and up to 15 texts,
as well as do a second language (Hindi or German in our case), which we now
conveniently drop after Class X.
So while the school is moving forward in terms of material ,personnel and
putting together systems, it is now time to start speaking of the bac
mindset and work ethic. It is said that what a man does in his spare time
points to what he values in life. If so, then I simply ask every Dosco to
look carefully at how he spends his spare time, because the bac exam, as
stated earlier, is about using time, shaping a value system and work ethic,
as well as gaining knowledge and passing examinations.