The Waiting Game

The past few months have been a blur of activity. They have provided me with some of the most rewarding personal and professional experiences in my career. Much of the time was spent on preparation for IB MYP verification visit. In and of itself, that was an excellent experience. The feedback provided by the three appointed IB visitors was most useful in helping our school continue with its journey toward becoming a full IB World School offering the continuum programs of PYP, MYP, and DP. Now the waiting game begins as we look forward to receiving official feedback from the IBO.

It is perhaps a truism of the modern workplace that all work is collaborative in nature, and that the best work is produced in teams. With 40 plus teachers, at least a dozen learning support staff and faculty members, plus administrative supports, the visit involved a vast number of people in total, over half of the school. Students and parents were also involved in the visit. Each person played a significant role in making it come together, and I am truly grateful for their input and effort. Many wrote units, taught lessons, brought in new assessment tasks and guidelines. Others helped write and re-write policy documents. Important details were planned and managed by an expert staff who went above and beyond their ordinary job descriptions. Students and parents shared how the program is transforming our school. In short, it was a team effort of sizable proportions. While it will be some time into 2016 before the official report is received, I am certain that our visitors were welcomed to a great school that is striving to become better. With guidance and direction, it is hoped that our MYP journey continues in full force in the coming year and beyond. A holiday break affords the time to reflect on how far the program has been advanced over the past two to three years. Greater familiarity is evident, professional dialogue around a common pedagogy has increased, and teachers are speaking the language of IB with growing confidence. It bodes well for the future of our school, and we look forward with great anticipation to receiving official feedback. It would be nice to get an early Christmas present from the IBO, but that is perhaps just wishful thinking. Meantime, the waiting game is on.