Are IB Schools the right choice for Indian students?
Is IB style of education the right approach to educate children?
How different is International Baccalaureate from the Indian Board of Education?
These are the questions that always seeked answers in my mind as a teacher and as a mother of two children.
I was fortunate to get an opportunity to observe, interact and be a part of the inner circle of the most prestigious IB school of Mumbai. I spent a couple of hours in a classroom of grade 2 in the elementary section. I could learn about the functioning of the IB curriculum in a natural setting. The mission of the school came out exactly clear to me in those few hours.
The IB curriculum, being the most advanced in its approach, in fact, reminded me of the Ancient Indian System of Education. A school without walls. How true and good does that sound? That is exactly how this school was! A dream for children and I’d say teachers too.
The Ancient System of Education as we know stressed on value education and real life skills. This school too focused on self –discipline, cooperation, and collaboration, respect, sharing and putting the other person before you. It was a school with students from different nations and cultures. The teachers and the children respected each individual irrespective of the differences. The school planned activities for craft, creative writing, and unit of inquiry to be done in pairs in which one child would first assist the other to complete his work and vice versa. Thus, instilling values from a very young age. I was amazed to see the self discipline in the children. It almost looked magical to me. I believe this was possible due to the close contact between the teachers and the students as chalked out by the Vedic Education System.
They waited for their turn to answer and understood that it was disrespectful to cross talk when another child was answering. They stood in a queue at one instruction without having being reminded the second time. They spoke at a volume low enough not to disturb the others. They practised greeting each other in the activities chosen by them in the morning meetings. These little qualities make up our personality, don’t they?
The teachers never raised their voice or talked down at the children .Any correction needed in behaviour was politely brought to the notice of the child and the child was trusted by giving the responsibility of fixing the problem.
Every lesson had been allotted sufficient type to benefit all kinds of learners. They obviously did not believe in rote learning but learning the concept well enough to be able to apply in real life situations. Instead of going to the librarian, they scanned the barcode at the age of eight. Thus, learning life skills.
The program was structured and yet the children felt the freedom. They were free to choose their friends but encouraged to befriend everyone in a very subtle way. They were free to sit where and how they like and yet encouraged to follow basic guidelines. The expectations were clearly spelled out to the children and the children were happy to follow them and not have to be enforced upon them. A Culture of Mutual Respect!
I could see the future of humanity in these wise, little children. Education must aim at bringing out the best in an individual, not just academically but in every aspect. In this era of unrest, our world needs institutions that bring up children who are humane with the right values.
It is for you to decide what is important to you as a parent.
It is for you to decide what kind of education do you want to give your children.
We may not be able to send our children to an International school but let us make sure to practise and instil these values at home.
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