Dear Parents,
One of the cornerstones of an International Baccalaureate curriculum is the importance and understanding of the concept of International Mindedness. If you talk to a group of people it will be interesting to see how different each of their responses may be with regards the definition of this word. The IB states that international mindedness can be expressed as:
- the ability to be better prepared for the 21st century global challenges
- understanding ourselves to connect with others
- awareness that the world is much larger than the community in which we live
- respect and understanding for other perspectives, cultures and languages
- the ability to see oneself as a responsible member of the community and a global citizen
And to illustrate how important this concept is, one only has to read how International Mindedness is expressed throughout the IB Mission Statement – I have underlined these parts as follows:
“The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the IBO works with schools, governments and international organisations to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment. These programs encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right“.
This is what I love about teaching in an IB World School – the fact that we are not all the same, the fact that the diversity of cultures and values seen at HBIS makes for an interesting mix/experience day in and day out, the fact that we are exposed to and can appreciate and celebrate that which makes us different, and finally that being different is OK. It is this appreciation, understanding and acceptance of diversity which will allow us the opportunity to become “agents of change” in the world. Allowing our students to realise that in order to make the world a better place we need to work together and find long lasting solutions (for everyone) to sustain and protect our future.
It is the concept of when understanding others, even with their differences, can also be right.
HSBC Bank recently ran a wonderful ad campaign promoting this very concept – illustrating beautifully that each of us brings a different perspective to the way we see our world, and if we could all appreciate the differences and embrace the diversity we would (ideally and hopefully) create a better world for all. If that is one spin-off from being internationally minded you can most definitely count HBIS in with regards to promoting and living it!
Kind regards,
Grant Ruskovich
