A couple of times last week the teachers at St. Jude's Academy were lucky enough to spend some time at professional development sessions with other teachers from IB schools in Ontario where we learned about important IB initiatives. These sessions gave us a chance to meet and share ideas with other teachers who are also going through the IB authorization process, have recently completed the process, or have been certified IB schools for years and years. These events are always great because as a staff, we come back to SJA with new information and new ideas of how to better incorporate the IB framework into every part of the school environment.
One concept that was brought up a great deal at the various events was one that is close to the heart of the IB- International Mindedness. The IB prides itself in its inclusiveness to all people and cultures around the world. IB's mindset is that societies should be proud of and respect the differences in people, rather than try to ignore what is unfamiliar or what you don't yet understand.
Students who are a part of an IB school will be encouraged to become global citizens by being aware, educated and appreciative of the various cultures around the world. As individuals living in or around the GTA, the perspective we have of family, public health, technology, politics and society are very different from an individual living in any other country around the world. By being Internationally Minded, our students will not only recognize this, but they will start to seek out answers from another perspective or another culture to have a more deeper understanding of an issue.
Martin Luther King famously wrote 'What effects one directly, effects us all'. International Mindedness shares this view that we must realize we are not alone and that we are only one piece of an enormous puzzle. It is an exciting challenge to bring this way of thinking to the students at SJA. We cannot wait!
Have a great week,
Mrs. Nelson
