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So, a few things went on this week. We got a nice yelling-at from our IBC (IB Coordinator) about telling the Grade Nines and Tens that IB is super-hard and you need to get 90's to go anywhere. It was said we complain a lot even though we don't get lots of homework and the teachers do all they can to make our lives easy. All the IBs got "the talk", not just us. But the fact is, our IBC was right. We don't get lots of work, and half of us don't even do it. We whine and complain about IB and how tough it is and how are marks are too low (not all of us, but the majority), even those whose marks are in the 80s and 90s.


It's a common fact that most of us can never be "good enough" in school. I think some of it is parental pressure, but there is a lot of peer pressure. The stereotype is "90s are good, 80s are okay-ish, anything lower and I'm failing," and many people subscribe to it. And for those people in the 80s and 90s, personal pressure overrides peer pressure, and they still want to acheive more. It's a horrible cycle of complaining and nobody is ever happy.


Our IBO said our behaviour was obvious, but the last straw, which triggered "the talk", was when a Grade 10 student who had all 80s came asking to drop IB because they thought their marks were not good enough. Nobody knows who this proverbial student is, but everyone was shocked when they heard it. It's not impossible for a student with 80s to drop out, but usually for reasons other than "it's not good enough" like courses needed for University or something.

Anyway, I think we need to stop being negative toward the Programme, and start encouraging more students to love it. But I must be off, because it is late!

Au revoir,
Ace