NUACHTÁN IB NEWS | February 2022
The challenges of being IB mothers and fathers
By Alicia Silva Lara
When we remember our basic or upper secondary education, many times we do not think about skills or attributes; aome of us remember those classrooms where the teachers told us to write summaries or copy whole pages without meaning, even repeat important data as songs or memorize complete formulas, etc. The examples I rarely talk about have to do with the education in our classrooms and the learning experiences that our IB kids know.
The fact that mothers and fathers are trained in a very different education from that of our children comes with certain challenges when accompanying the education of our IB children. As parents, we seek to make the best education available to our children. Sarah Son shares her family’s experience with mathematics in the PYP “A standard textbook can give students specific knowledge, but it rarely allows them to think for themselves… I just wanted to make sure my children knew the joy of learn, value their process and become integral human beings and international citizens prepared to change the world”
Developing critical thinking in students, that is, thinking for themselves, questioning and arguing, can be a very valuable skill in the lives of our children, however, these are the ones that as fathers and mothers can put us in trouble. when we see ourselves questioned by our children even in the most everyday situations.
They demand that we go a step forward and strengthen ourselves and our upbringing by being an inquiring tutor, practicing open-mindedness and being patient in recognizing that our children and the educational environment in which they find themselves exceeds the one that perhaps we had at our disposal at the same age.
It is for all of the above that being an IB parent is an experience that, in addition, is shaped as we see the children go through the different stages and programs of the International Baccalaureate.
To learn more about the challenges and experiences of IB parents from our Celtic community, we invite you to participate in the dialogue table: ‘The experience as IB parents’ of Parents Making a Difference this February 23 at 6:00 p.m. where we can share, with families from the different programs, the learning from the experience accompanying our children to grow and walk in the IB programs.
