Journey into the world of becoming a fully authorized International Baccalaureate program of study

The past four years of working within the IB PYP and MYP Programme have been nothing short of a blessing. When I became a Director, I entered a K-5 school that was fully authorized and one year away from their five year reauthorization. I also gained a middle school that was in its "candidacy" phase meaning that it had just barely met minimum requirements to apply for Global IB Authorization over the next three years. Diversity, to me, looked different from this perspective. I had 16 years of working within Title I schools that included 100% minority and 100% poverty students. I have been privileged to work with the Teenage Pregnant Program and in the Alternative School in Manatee County whereby students were dismissed from a traditional campus to an "alternative" school in lieu of expulsion. I have also been the primary administrator in Credit Recovery Programs supporting students in the adult-age completion of their traditional high school diploma. I had been around the block ... some could say, before I journeyed into the IB world. I learned that having that title of IB is not something that is achieved easily, quickly or without careful consideration. I also learned that if you were privileged to wear this label, as a school, it would come with a hefty price-tag of time, effort, focus, and a lot of extra work. But I also learned that it would become one of the most rewarding experiences of my life as an educator and an administrator.

So, you may be asking yourself ... why does one choose the IB if it takes that much brain power to achieve? We will hear about how educators are heavily taxed with long work hours and challenges and they are far from receiving the compensation that they should, etc. I don't disagree with this sentiment. See, as a teacher and an administrator, teaching was never JUST what I did. It was all-consuming and it was a part of not only WHO I WAS, but also of who my FAMILY was and who MY CHILDREN were. We were all educators regardless of what we did or where we went. Our world constantly revolved around someone else's child or the concept of education in general. Parties were cut short, weekends consisted of one day because one full day was dedicated solely to planning for the school week. It becomes a never ending cycle of prepping for the next day, next lesson, next project, next parent night ... etc. The list goes on ... educators never stop being educators. And contrary to the thoughts of some, we still work in the summer without pay ...because it's just WHO we are. There is just something about us, as teachers, that doesn't allow us to turn off our "inner teach" at any time. You can verify this fact with our kids, their friends ... or maybe even a kid who is a stranger in public misbehaving. Our addiction to teaching can be easily confirmed by just about anyone who loves us.

As an IB teacher, there is a whole other requirement that could be considered self-imposed torture (which we gladly and gracefully accept.) There are additional requirements above being a traditional classroom teacher. There are unit plans on top of your regular lesson plans. There are IB report cards on top of your regular district report cards. There are Community Projects in the MYP (Middle Years Programme) and Exhibition Projects in the PYP (Primary Years Programme.) These projects span a year and require a sponsor that is always also a classroom teacher. These projects require networking in the community. They require constant contact and oversight; there is a lot, to say the least. Now, educators, in general are always faced with "a lot" but this looks a little different. The best part is that the staff were actually a part of a grueling three year process whereby they stayed late at school most evenings, involved countless families in all initiatives, spent hours creating unit planners for years to come, engaged students in global initiatives, created and supported year-long projects showing how their students were making a "difference" and then sat face to face with a team of global experts coming from all over the world to be critiqued for their efforts. The craziest part is that the vast majority of these dedicated teacher CHOSE this. They understood the IB world and what it would mean for our learners, so they stared the work in they eyes and ran towards it full speed. They knew they were already taxed with "teacher stuff" but they still took on the responsibility of working towards IB accreditation and compliance. During this three year phase, at times teachers didn't sleep, at times, students and families that became so entrenched in our global missions didn't sleep, and this administrator certainly did NOT sleep during our evaluation. We had people come and live within our school for a week. They engaged stake-holders, Board Members, walked to any room they wanted, pulled random kids, opened any door, any closet or cabinet, and looked into any lesson plans. Well, lets be real for a second ... when "guests" come to school, we typically know which students to steer away from and also which classrooms we may want to avoid if we are working to put our best foot forward,. During this evaluation process, you don't have that opportunity. You provide your IB visiting Compliance Team with names of all professors and schedules and then you "LEAVE THEM ALONE!" This is likely the scariest thing you could say to an administrator. You mean ... "I can't stay with them, guide them, encourage them ... explain? My internal dialogue was not helping ... see our authorization was at a middle school. Yes, you heard me ... a middle school. I'll say it louder for the people in the back ... A MIDDLE SCHOOL. Does that need further clarification? It shouldn't and for the sake of time, I won't dive deeper into all the layers of meaning that statement embodies, but if you have a friend who teaches or is an administrator to middle school students, well then maybe you should ask them why allowing random people on their campus without administrative support could potentially NOT fare well. Now, I love all my students, honestly especially the middle school students, but loving middle school students is almost like loving your own children. They say and do things sometime that make you shake your head, but you know them. They may be silly and sometimes a little "inappropriate," but they are ALWAYS real. When you love them and are around them every day, this "silly" and "real" persona they carry around with them can be insightful and even comical at times, but to a stranger, who doesn't know the child or have the context or background ... well, this can be a scary event. Especially when you are trusting the last three years of your hard work and dedication and endless hours of writing unit plans, and working to truly integrate the ideals of an IB school into your curriculum, day, program, and life ... well it can be a little unsettling. It could be equated to asking a middle school student to hold an irreplaceable family heirloom for a week for "safe keeping" Not to say that they couldn't handle the task, but you would at least want to have some say over which middle schooler is chosen to hold onto your beloved family heirloom.

Well ... much to my surprise, and without even a threat, my middle school students took the authorization so seriously that they, too, did not waiver. They are steadfast and well spoken. They displayed such immense leadership. They were accountable to their global initiatives and they were articulate in their direction. They spoke eloquently about their underlying global concepts. They explained their IB traits and how these traits such as being balanced, and demonstrating leadership skills supported their overall success. They explained their contributions on a societal and global level and explained that it wasn't enough to bring a concerning topic to light, but rather, they would have to show that they could make a difference, and impact our world ...the best part, they didn't just say it, they believed it. The list of what these young leaders were capable of not only speaking about, but also doing was limitless. That's when it hit me. These children and adults who spent the last three years of their lives working to understand the IB, had FINALLY become THE IB. They were global learners that were balanced. They had leadership skills and were communicative.. They understood the influence they should and could have on society not in the future, but NOW. This is all still taking into consideration that they are middle school students. The number one school for diversity in Florida with a 20+% ESE rate, a 60% Free and Reduced rate and 80% minority status. These "children" embodied what it meant to step outside of themselves when it was appropriate.

I continue to laugh every single day I am in front of these amazing kiddos. They are ultimately still between the ages of 11 and 14 years of age, so with that, it is automatically predetermined that they are required to make silly mistakes with their friends, in school, and with their families ... but what I have learned is that while they are still concerned about the number of "likes" they get on their social media accounts or what their friends have to say ... they have a deeper awareness, appreciation for, and connection to the world around them. I have such faith and confidence because I know that we will become a peaceful world when we have a better understanding of our world and these children are the ones who can and will make it happen,. I am so comforted knowing that we are raising a generation of learners with this foundation, belief, and most importantly desire to understand and connect with their world and not just their friends on Instagram or Snapchat.

Most importantly, I have gained an enormous respect and appreciation for this group of teachers WHO CHOSE to do the extra work, lose the extra sleep, invest the extra time in order to shape young minds to think "outside of themselves." It is because teaching is not just what we do ... it is who we are. If it means that children will have greater opportunities, find their own innate leadership, contribute to the world in a meaningful way, and become better people, teachers are willing to do anything, even when they don't have to.

What has becoming an IB school taught me? A little about the process of becoming IB authorized but WAY more about the quality of the character of the teachers willing to put in the long work and the families dedicated enough to internalize these expectations in their own homes and finally how much of an impact that educators can truly have on all children. I've been around educators who want to discuss all the things we, as educators, cannot influence ...that is a ridiculously SHORT list. The list of factors that we can influence is a far lengthier list and one worth investing in and talking about. The last four years of my journey have been amazing. It is always hard for me to say which year I love the most, because any year that stretches me to become a little better, more knowledgable, or more understanding than the year prior, is my best year yet.

I am so grateful to the teachers that I am presently surrounded by. I tell them constantly that I have never seen such dedication. I'm pretty sure they think all administrators say that ... but it's not true. They consistently go the extra mile and they set amazing examples and will impact the next generation of humans in unimaginable ways. If you want to change the world, impact just one child. These teachers are changing the world every single day in far greater ways than they could possibly imagine even when their middle schoolers act age appropriate. I am bey0nd proud to walk alongside them each and every day. They set the bar.