Between a 3-day seminar at a retreat with colleagues from school and a visit home to check on things, i spent three brilliant days in The Hague attending and presenting at the IB Inspiring Conference.
The IB is opening its Africa, Europe and Middle East global center in The Hague, a move that is part of the new structure of the organization, but also one that carries some symbolism because of the location itself. Beyond the symbolism, it was inspiring to listen to Erica McWilliam (one can get a taste here) and other speakers about empathic leadership, the IB research unit, the academic developments in the organization and IB recognition.
The new strategic plan and the new language in the organization are typical examples of a change that is directed from within, but with an agenda that reflects the changing world we inhabit. In this sense, the organization is responding to the educational landscape that emerges with initiatives and planning that will promote access and diversity of educational needs, with the Career Certificate and IB online courses.
This short entry is just to register my personal excitement (a more analytical response may follow when i have less homework). I am sure that change and growth inspire misgivings in others, maybe with a good reason, but as a teacher that is aspiring to becoming trans-national, i cannot help thinking that continual inquiry and perpetual motion are the concepts and also the course of action required to face up to the challenge of modern education. For more excitement, watch this space.
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