Significant news to address

As I am certain DP teachers everywhere will know by now, the May 2020 exam session has been officially cancelled. The last thing I want to do here, is to spread rumours or add commentary on their decision. The key thing to do is make sure that, where ever you are, you are in touch with your DP coordinators and school management teams to keep informed with the latest official news and the decisions that your school is taking abiout talking to students. I wanted to post an immediate reaction here to help us, as teachers, think about how we might work with our students over the next few days and start thinking about next steps. .. If I could share one piece of advice that I am thinking right now is that we make it a priority to be sympathetic and dont rush tell students about how the stituation is going to be managed until we know. the speculation could be unhelpful.

Sympathy

Between us we have seen hundreds and thousands of students get to 18 and prepare for this momentus moment in their academic life. Amongst them we know there have been all kinds of students - students who have worked hard for years to build to this moment, students who have blossomed late to make a good go of it, students that flourish in exam situations and those that dont. We know that there will be students who are a little relieved, but also many who are genuinely gutted that they dont get to do this last stage. I have often said that I don't think an external exam scenario like this is really that fair - and in true teacher style, I will now say that this situation is not going to be fair either. It is a really tough call and reactions will be different and need managing with care! On a personal level, I have a daughter who is in her final IB year, so I am seeing a parent perspective here as well! 

Things I will say to my students

I have a lesson with my final year students today. I know they will want to talk. Mostly, I am keen to listen them and find out what they are thinking. Anything I say will obviously depend on that! I can already hear myself saying some things....

Perspective - This will be hard, but students will evertually have to try and put this in to some perspective. It IS a big deal, and might well have have consequences, but they have teachers and schools that will continue to do the very best for them and things will be OK!

Why did we do all this? - It will be very easy to slip in to a mind set of 'If there isn't an exam, then what an earth did we do all of this for?' It would be daft not to have some sympathy with this to start with, but I will want to help students get back to the essential goals of education. I'll want to remind people how often I hear from students about how the maths they did on this course came in handy in their next steps. I'll want to remind them of many 'rants'  and 'lectures' I have given about how important understanding mathematics is on so many levels and that the things we have doen will have value. Of course this goes for other subjects too. The view that the purpose of education is exams might prevail as they approach, but it really isn't. I'll want to remind them of some of the good times we have had.

What will happen next? - Well, I will want to be careful here, as I dont want to stat rumours or speculation. I'll just want to reassure people that we will do as much as we can to be as fair as we can and to helpn them with next steps.....