Do any of your children go to an IB (International Baccalaureate) Highschool?

HappyMommy - posted on 06/21/2011

My four year old will start IB this year. I hope she enjoys it.

S Detray - posted on 03/27/2010

Sorry mistype.. my son is taking IGCSC's

S Detray - posted on 03/27/2010

My eldest graduated last year from the IB program, my youngest is 15 and currently in the IGCSE but will be continueing the IB in one year.
I found the program extremely demanding. My son was studying until the early morning hours many nights. It did serve him extremely well for University however if you are not planning on sending your child to an Ivy league school or if your child is unsure about what they wish to study it can be extremely limiting and can make the first year of university very frusterating due to the apparent drop in class level and classmate ability. Your children will get to University very well prepared and able to work under pressure along with, if you are lucky, enough credits to take Jr level classes by the second semester. However I hope that your school offers a good athletic program also so that they learn to release some of that pressure healthily. Our school does not and hense there is a very high percentage of school children partying every friday.

Morag - posted on 03/15/2009

This has been really interesting to read. Spanish High schools only off Baccalaureate education to those capable (apprenticeships and job training are the only other options). My husband went through it where as I was in the UK it wasn't offered and I have to admit he is far more widely educated than I am. I can see with my eldest how much homework the kids get (she comes home every night with at least 2 pages of math, language and science, and if she's unlucky she'll have that plus two pages of English, and Valenciano and she's only 9). We don't have advanced gifted programs here unfortunately and I was worried that my youngest wouldn't be stretched to her potential in the future but I can see that she should be very challenged :)

Annmaree - posted on 03/15/2009

claire, This is your son, go speak to the school and have them do what he needs...its not about the school...its about your child....

Claire - posted on 03/01/2009

My son just entered a K-8 school in 8th grade that feeds into their High School.  I gave them all of his TAG info yet they didn't put him in any TAG programs.  I didn't say anything because he was needed some time to adjust socially and I didn't want to make him too stressed. But, now he's just kind of underachieving and I think they don't believe that he is highly gifted.  I'm worried that the won't place him in any advance classes in the high school and he'll be bored and not pushed to his potential.  Any suggestions?  Thank you!

Holly - posted on 02/24/2009

Yes, my daughter was in the GATE program since 4th grade and is now in the Pre- IB program at one of our local high schools. She really enjoys the challenge, but has found more interest in socializing than in previous years... imagine that, a teenager who is more interested in her friends and boys!! LOL

Ellen - posted on 02/22/2009

Interesting to read because we have access to IB elementary with plans for the district to go all the way through high school (there is already a high school program). When the GT program couldn't meet Z's needs they asked us to consider placement in IB at kinder. We decided not to because it was 45 minutes away and thought he needed to be closer to home. Now there's one closer, but he seems fine at his school now (most days).

Lori - posted on 02/21/2009

Where are you in Ontario?

Angela - posted on 02/21/2009

I teach pre-AP English at an IB school in Texas, and many of my students filter into the IB program. It's interesting reading the different perspectives. My sons go to school in a district that offers the AP, but not IB program. My oldest is in all pre-AP classes, but my youngest is only 4 (almost 5).

Amy - posted on 02/21/2009

wow I just reread that post and it came across as really, pissy, for lack of another word. I am sorry if I offened anyone I didn't mean it come across that way!

Amy - posted on 02/21/2009

I agree that there are some things that cannot be taught at home and since I can admit my children are much more advanced than I am, I can also admit I am not able to meet those needs. That being said some gifted children are happier in a "regular" classroom or being home schooled.

Being advanced in intelligenence shouldn't be placed above their emotional and mental well-being IMO.

There are some gifted children who thrive in the more challenged classroom and then there are those that pressure themselves to a point of physical and or emtional harm.

As the parents, we, have to intercede when needed to make sure that our gifted children are not only mentally challeged due to their advanced needs but also that they make it to adulthood mentally and emtionally intacted.

Kama - posted on 02/20/2009

Hah! My boys would both be homeschooled if we gave them the choice. We just don't feel that we could possibly give them the same science education that a high school can. There are just some things that can't be taught outside of a lab, in my opinion. But both my kids want to go into the sciences so we have to plan ahead.

Amy - posted on 02/20/2009

My 15 yr old was in the IB program in Jr. High. Although she got good grades and was challenged and certianly not bored it was to much pressure for her. We too gave her the option of continuing but she choose to homeschool instead. Had she not made the choice herself we would have made it for her.

She had no life other than school and homework and ended up with an ulcer. Although some kids do great for some gifted kids it's to much!

Annmaree - posted on 02/12/2009

My daughter was at an IB school last year for Yr 11.  It is a special IB school which allowed for 2 science subjects.  She chose to do HL Physics, Chem and Psychology, SL English, French and Maths. 

She spent all day at school, all afternoon at CAS activities and all night studying.  Whilst she got great grades, she felt out of control, had no social life to speak of - hence, no normalcy for a teenager and was totally miserable.  I spoke with the local child mental health unit who informed me of a drastic increase in numbers since her school opened. 

I wanted my happy teenager back, so gave her the option to go to a normal school - which she chose to do.  I now realise that, regardles of what school or academic programme she is enrolled in, she is still the same smart kid....only now she is happy, and not studying 6 hours per night.....

Kama - posted on 02/11/2009

My sons are both slated to start an IB high school once they get there. They are currently in 6th and 7th grades but we were invited to a program about it last fall and I am planning on them going there when they get to 9th grade.

Dollia - posted on 01/29/2009

My brother and I actually graduated from IB progrms Me ('95) my brother ('02).  He received his full diploma, I chose not to test at all.  Since he had entered school at 1st grade, he was 16 when he gradated highschool.  Although he had the diploma, he chose to enter college at 16 as a freshman, instead of a sophomore.  So both of us had the education but didn't want the college benefits.  HOWEVER, the biggest benefit was classes that were actually interesting, classes that moved at the appropriate pace (not too slow), 6 years of a foreign language, and freshman year was EASY at university, so we both settled into college life much more smoothly.

HTH!

Dollia

Debbi - posted on 01/14/2009

My daughter started 6th grade at a school that goes through12th and starts IB in 9th.  She is taking French and the classes are structured differently.  There are 120 students in each grade, so 2 families of 3 core teachers that they rotate through.  What this basically means is that, even though the grade has 120, she is in a setting that has 60 students, and she also integrates occasionally with family a 7th and 8th graders.

I've heard mixed reviews about the long term greatness of IB, but this school is great, and it is a charter school, and she can walk from home.  She needed the smaller setting because socially she is prettty much clueless =).

Samantha - posted on 01/14/2009

From what I understand, you can write your own ticket to college with an IB Diploma, so FINGERS CROSSED!! :-)

I love that they integrate "Service" in the program. One piece of advice I was given recently by the IB counselor was to get them involved in one thing that they really care about, as far as volunteering goes. She said that although there is no requirement in terms of volunteer hours for the first two years that colleges really like it if they did the volunteer time without it being a requirement and that they do the same thing all four years shows a commitment to a cause, and they love to see that. So there you go.

I took 6 years of french and still cant speak it. lol But I still want to try and to learn. For now I settle for french cookbooks. ha!

Kristen - posted on 01/14/2009

We are in Ontario Canada, so no Spanish here, French instead! lol! He's gotten really good grades as well, but yep, lots of homework, and LOTS of studying! He's in kind of a laptop program, they are integrating it, so it won't be fully laptop until grade 11, but he brings his laptop everyday, which he finds extremely helpful as he can type faster than he can write so notetaking is much easier.

So far we are very pleased with the programme!

Samantha - posted on 01/14/2009

Yep. I've got a 14 year old girl, freshman, in the program. It's hard and she has SO much homework but she's getting fantastic grades.

We were in Florida when she started the program and it was in its first year there. Now we're in TX and they've been doing it for many years. It seems to be a lot smoother and easier for her to get her work done here.

Also in FL she was taking Spanish 1 the first 18 weeks and Spanish 2 the second 18 weeks. They dont do that here and she was happy to be continuing in Spanish 1 here. It was moving too fast for her in FL.

So all's well w/IB in TX! :-)

How are you finding it?