Today was fantastic. We started the day with Wade Davis, an anthropologist who was so amazing. Anthropology is something, I am not ashamed to admit, I know little about. He was fascinating. His speech on preserving civilizations through language and spoken word was so interesting. Hearing how languages are being lost is so disheartening, but hearing of his travels and the people he has met was so amazing.
After, we broke out into small sessions and workshops. The collaboration and willingness to share is a benchmark of IB. Being a Business Manager, I chose sessions that many would think would be "dry". I went first to a session on combining AP and IB. It was given by a group from Indianapolis schools. It was amazing. Seeing how to make it work....it was like putting glasses on the first time. It makes sense! It is a unique opportunity that can, in some cases, give a student an opportunity to test out of 14 credits in college based on ONE class they take in high school. Amazing opportunity!
I attended a finance seminar, which I won't bore you with, but was really exciting! But the last breakout I attended was the one that I was looking forward to most. It was about a school in Connecticut that is much like ISC. It is an IB for all set up with no admission requirement and a very diverse student population. These students come from different academic backgrounds, just like our students at ISC. And it works. It works because the staff, students and parents make it work. It is choosing a path and sticking to it. It is continuing forward when it gets hard and leaning on each other when it gets hard.
We have to believe in the mission of our school and the mission of IB to be successful. Mr. Sims, myself, each teacher, our volunteer coaches, parents, students and families....we will all be a very important part of the success of our school and students. But what that success looks like...it is inspirational.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Inspiration
I am inspired. Plan and simple. I am not from the education world. My previous experience has been in business and not-for-profit, but my educational experiences are that of being a student myself and being a parent. As a parent, I know I want better and different for my student. But what does that look like? Can we take an Indiana classroom and just say, "Ok...it's IB"?
The answer is no. As a school, we can label our classes IB. But to truly be IB, it is more than just a class or curriculum. Tonight, a young man spoke at the opening session. He just graduated from an IB school in Florida. He looked like any student you would see in a Columbus school. And then he spoke. He spoke with a passion and an eloquence that was mesmerizing. He was confident. He was educated. He spoke of his classmates and what he will take with him this fall to Dartmouth. He spoke of classes where he did not memorize, he interpreted. He had a maturity that was undeniable. And as I expressed my astonishment that this was merely a child of 18....over and over I heard, he is IB.....that is IB.
IB is more than classes our students will take. It looks so different than anything Columbus has seen. We cannot just bring IB into our classrooms...we will, as a school, become IB. We must to succeed. It is opening our mind to become, as staff and parents, as internationally-minded as our students will become.
I spoke with a teacher from Kansas City tonight at length about the differences in being an IB teacher vs. a traditional teacher. She told me that she is never good enough, but she doesn't mean that in a good way. She challenges herself to constantly reassess her curriculum, her classroom and her own personal development and always be looking for opportunity to grow.
I think we have a fantastic foundation to be IB. This is going to be a fantastic and exciting year!
The answer is no. As a school, we can label our classes IB. But to truly be IB, it is more than just a class or curriculum. Tonight, a young man spoke at the opening session. He just graduated from an IB school in Florida. He looked like any student you would see in a Columbus school. And then he spoke. He spoke with a passion and an eloquence that was mesmerizing. He was confident. He was educated. He spoke of his classmates and what he will take with him this fall to Dartmouth. He spoke of classes where he did not memorize, he interpreted. He had a maturity that was undeniable. And as I expressed my astonishment that this was merely a child of 18....over and over I heard, he is IB.....that is IB.
IB is more than classes our students will take. It looks so different than anything Columbus has seen. We cannot just bring IB into our classrooms...we will, as a school, become IB. We must to succeed. It is opening our mind to become, as staff and parents, as internationally-minded as our students will become.
I spoke with a teacher from Kansas City tonight at length about the differences in being an IB teacher vs. a traditional teacher. She told me that she is never good enough, but she doesn't mean that in a good way. She challenges herself to constantly reassess her curriculum, her classroom and her own personal development and always be looking for opportunity to grow.
I think we have a fantastic foundation to be IB. This is going to be a fantastic and exciting year!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
We are in Miami!
Or Miam-ah, as I keep hearing it be called! It has been a fascinating trip so far. Traveling with Mr. Sims, our Head of School, has been educational. I have learned so much about his background, and if you think I was excited before about him becoming our new Head of School, double my enthusiasm! As we flew down, we talked about the topic that so many students can't wait to see....the schedule. As we move towards being a certified IB school, we begin to not just be a school that offers IB, but we are developing an identity. Many of the IB students I have met have made it clear to me, in no uncertain terms, IB is more than a curriculum, it is a community....an environment....and I feel that here in Miami!
The people I have met have been so friendly. IB connects these schools world-wide. Tomorrow, we will get to hear Greg Mortenson speak. His BIO inspired me! You can read about him and get a taste of what we will experience (www.threecupsoftea.com) I can't wait!
More to come tomorrow! As we start this new year, there will be such an exciting evolution as we see our school become IB. Each day is a new step!
The people I have met have been so friendly. IB connects these schools world-wide. Tomorrow, we will get to hear Greg Mortenson speak. His BIO inspired me! You can read about him and get a taste of what we will experience (www.threecupsoftea.com) I can't wait!
More to come tomorrow! As we start this new year, there will be such an exciting evolution as we see our school become IB. Each day is a new step!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Back to blogging!
What a crazy few months it has been at ISC! We have had a lot of changes. We will have some new faces. But no matter what, we have had a fabulous group of students and families who have made this an amazing year.
We are T-minus 20 days to the last day of school. It is hard to believe this year is almost come and gone. It seems like just last week, we were cutting a ribbon on the front lawn with the Mayor!
If you visit my office, I have three countdowns....one to the last day of school so I can keep everything straight....one to my personal vacation (yeah for me!)....but even more exciting than my own vacation is the last countdown....60 days until our new Head of School takes up residenced in his new office at ISC! For me, as a staff member, I am so excited as to where this is going to take us. He has an energy and enthusiasm that is contagious. Even from 3500 miles away in Columbia, he is hard at work for our school! That is awesome!
As a parent....he is exactly what I want for my students. He knows IB from experience and he knows students. I think he is going to make our "IB for all" a reality and not a concept. He shared a link with me during one of our calls and I think everyone should check it out. It is a good reminder of what we are working towards:
www.ibo.org/programmes/profile
This year has been a wonderful adventure, but the years to come are looking even better!
We are T-minus 20 days to the last day of school. It is hard to believe this year is almost come and gone. It seems like just last week, we were cutting a ribbon on the front lawn with the Mayor!
If you visit my office, I have three countdowns....one to the last day of school so I can keep everything straight....one to my personal vacation (yeah for me!)....but even more exciting than my own vacation is the last countdown....60 days until our new Head of School takes up residenced in his new office at ISC! For me, as a staff member, I am so excited as to where this is going to take us. He has an energy and enthusiasm that is contagious. Even from 3500 miles away in Columbia, he is hard at work for our school! That is awesome!
As a parent....he is exactly what I want for my students. He knows IB from experience and he knows students. I think he is going to make our "IB for all" a reality and not a concept. He shared a link with me during one of our calls and I think everyone should check it out. It is a good reminder of what we are working towards:
www.ibo.org/programmes/profile
This year has been a wonderful adventure, but the years to come are looking even better!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
ISC will be on 1 hour delay Wednesday, February 17th
We will be on an one-hour delay for Wednesday, February 17th.
Monday, February 15, 2010
ISC closed on Tuesday, February 16th
ISC will be closed on Tuesday, February 16th. The sports banquet previously scheduled for Feb. 16th was earlier announced to be moved to Thursday, Feb. 18th. We are now rescheduling the banquet for Tuesday, February 23rd. We apologize for the inconvenience.
School will be closed Monday, February 15th
School will be closed today, Monday, February 15th due to weather.
The sports banquet scheduled for Tuesday, February 16th will be moved to Thursday, February 18th as well.
Thank you,
Monica Christian
The sports banquet scheduled for Tuesday, February 16th will be moved to Thursday, February 18th as well.
Thank you,
Monica Christian
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