Opinion Column on IB

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9c/International_Baccalaureate_logo.jpg)

By Makenzie McMullen

IB stands for International Baccalaureate which is a worldwide program Within this program there are two different paths that one could choose to be apart of this program. One being the full diploma program where all of your classes are IB. The other path you could choose is the certificate program where you can choose certain classes that are IB. The IB course work equates the work experienced in a freshmen year of college, but you take these rigorous courses in the junior and senior year of high school.  Which ever path you take you have to give up something. If you say hello to IB, you say goodbye to your Social life. This is hard to do with Long Trails mission and philosophies about school. This is because the students are asked to balance school work and also be actively involved in their community. It is important for students to get out and help their community, however it is hard for IB kids to complete all of their homework, have a social life, and be part of their community. “At Long Trail, we believe that the way we teach must be creative and dynamic and mindful of the differences among students.” (longtrailschool.org) This statement contradicts what IB because IB does not believe in differentiation; it’s philosophy treats and teaches all students the same format. Another issue that I find with IB is that not many colleges acknowledge all IB courses. Some universities only accept HL classes while other colleges do not even know what IB is and does not accept any IB credits. So when you enroll in the IB program and find this out in your senior year, you find yourself asking why am I putting myself through so much stress to complete this program, especially if colleges do not acknowledge the hard work you go though.

This article would be published in The Manchester Journal, because of the location of Long Trail School and it is a topic that relates to many families that live in that area of Vermont. Also, Long Trail is the only IB school in Vermont so not many people who live in this state now what IB is. This article is intended for teenagers of the high school age and their parents in order inform them about the IB program. This is meant for people all around the world because the IB program is worldwide. Using examples from IB and Long Trail School website helps support my opinion on this subject.