Lets Get to It

This blog post will follow a story about my own education, briefly cover a short story I read and then an interview on IB Education.

A defining moment in my education is associated with a vivid memory: two teenagers, covered in dirt, tasked with planting on a 30-degree slope with a couple of shovels, a homemade bunyip, some basic understanding of agriculture, and the desire to contribute to their school. I went to a Montessori school founded on some of the same principles of intellectual rigor, the promotion of imagination, creativity and commitment to justice that characterize Penn State. Classes were designed for discussion and self-initiated projects that mattered to us and to our community.

A friend and I wanted to grow vegetables and herbs for the cooking of our “community lunch” (a weekly event run by students). We researched different forms of agriculture and got the teachers involved. We came across “permaculture”, learned about the concept and techniques used, and figured how to determine the contour lines of the terrain (a must in permaculture). We had two options: a $600-laser level or a homemade bunyip. Needless to say, we made a bunyip with scrap wood and with it found the contour lines necessary to strategically plant vegetables and deep rooted grasses so our garden retained water and resisted erosion. That self-sustaining system we developed is still providing for the school’s lunches; a common good for our school, the environment and our community. I smile every time I drive by.

I believe in learning as a relevant creative endeavor.

In “El Etnografo” by Jorge Luis Borges, a man is sent to learn everything about a tribe and come back and explain a secret they have held for hundreds of years. At the end, he comes back with nothing explaining to a board that having all the information is one thing but experiencing it for yourself is education. The most important part of education, discovery, has been lost. With so much information at your fingertips how can one discover, mess up and learn?

In an attempt to better understand the education system in a more concrete way I decided to interview a student from South Bend, Indiana. Andres, a Junior in high school, in the IB Program (a program I too was enrolled in).

Interviewer: Can you find three words that describe the IB program?

Andres: Demanding, rigorous, bullshit

Interviewer: Clearly bullshit stands out, could you elaborate?

Andres: The administration running it is flawed. There is no order or organization which makes a program with so many demands difficult to complete.

Interviewer: Do you notice a difference between your Ib classes and regular classes?

Andres: Yes there is a big difference in class engagement ad expectations. Everyone is expected to participate in IB classes.

Interviewer: Do you think your Ib teachers are qualified to be teaching that level?

Andres: Yeah they are pretty qualified. For example, my History HL [Higher Level] teacher forces us to question the text and enter into discussion.

Interviewer: What do you not like about the IB program?

Andres: The amount of homework per class every day makes you sacrifice other things you want to be involved in.

Interviewer: Does Ib facilitate discovery?

Andres: Kinda, some aspects do but the overwhelming amount of work makes learning a chore sometimes.

Ib, which is regarded as the pinnacle of secondary education worldwide, is not always what it is cracked up to be. Although it is supposed to help create curious minds ready for that moment of discovery, it really creates sleep deprived students with no energy but to do the minimum and what is asked. I do think there are many benefits but as Andres showed it is not perfect.

 

http://www.ibo.org/benefits/

El etnógrafo por Jorge Luis Borges [traducción en inglés/ English translation]