A new school year and the beginning of one of the most important changes for our kindergarten, the beginning of IB (International Baccalaureate). We have been working towards this moment for quite some timenow and we are ready for the next step. Just this month we joined yet anotherIB workshop in Shanghaiand I was lucky enough to be asked to join all the head teachers and leadersfrom our kindergarten.

Just after the national day holidays, you will all rememberthat we had to return to work on Saturday and work for seven days straight.Well, we had to pack our suitcases and fly to Shanghai for training that would last forthree full days. We flew on Thursday evening and arrived back in Guangzhou late Sundaynight and had another weeks work waiting for us until we could have a rest andspend time with our loved ones. Was it worth it? Yes, every minute.

I have six years teaching experience and I can’t believehow much knowledge and information that was shared with me within only thesethree days. Do not be mistaken by thinking that our old way of teaching is nowthe wrong way of teaching. We are simply changing it to better suit thechildren of tomorrow. Times have changed and now as teachers, we must also beready for change. IB teaching is for a brighter tomorrow for everyone involved.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with IB and what itstands for and believes in, I highly recommend you check it out. It allows thestudents to take control of their own learning and question the world aroundthem. Imagine taking a holiday and you are a tourist in a group of about twentylike-minded people and you have a tour guide. Now we have the same situation asa classroom, but the tourists are the students and the tour guide is the teacher.The tour guide shows them something new and the tourists ask as many questionsas they like until they are full of knowledge. Why is the world round? Why dopeople look different? Why do some people think differently than me? The listis endless. This is IB, this is the future. A world where people can think andquestion for themselves, a world with an endless list of knowledge.

How well we can teach the children of tomorrow means howwell humanity can deal with the problems of tomorrow.