IB from Bergen to Redwood City

Two IB schools across the Atlantic

BY NORA KOVSCEK Staff Reporter

In a region of highly competitive highschools, Sequoia stands out as one of the few to offer IB.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is an esteemed high school program that is hosted in 159 countries, and is known for its rigor and discipline. While all IB schools have to follow the IB’s criteria, different schools will have their own defining culture and values, which can set their programs apart from each other.

I had the opportunity to witness these differences firsthand, as I spent a semester in the IB program at a Norwegian high school in Bergen, Norway.

School structure

Bergen Cathedral School’s approach to education puts an emphasis on the selfmotivation of its students, steering away from the traditional carrot-and-stick mentality of many American high schools. The school website describes its IB program as a “relaxed atmosphere in which you can get to know other students easily and do enjoyable and meaningful activities.”

At Sequoia, IB students are given large quantities of homework to be completed outside of class. In many classes, homework is graded and makes up a portion of your final grade. This leads to students’ dedicating a significant amount of time to schoolwork, leaving them with less room for other things.

“I would say daily, from the moment I get home basically, till the moment I go to bed, I’m usually doing homework,” junior and IB Diploma candidate Ethan Thacker said. “I wish it was studying because then I could control it and not get graded on it. But I do actually have to do all of that. Which is unfortunate.”

Bergen Cathedral School, on the other hand, places a big emphasis on progress and personal growth, as many homework assignments are not graded and term grades aren’t based solely on cumulative grades. This takes the pressure off performance and lets students focus on learning.

“If you want students to learn, giving them a number is totally detrimental to learning. So instead of measuring performance, you actually want to measure progress,” IB Coordinator of Bergen Cathedral School, Gillian Boniface, said.

Additionally, part of Norway’s approach to education is to foster self-motivation and encourage students to take ownership of their own learning, rather than relying on external incentives. This aims to prepare students for their future and prevent burnout later on.

“What’s interesting about Norway is there’s much more expectation that students are motivated and do their work. Because that’s what we’re trying to teach them. Because ultimately, the motivation has to come from you, the student. It’s about your education, it’s about your life,” said Boniface.

Diversity and accessibility

Diversity in the IB program has different meanings to these schools. At Sequoia, one of the program’s main goals is to encourage all students to participate in IB. From 2014-2017, Sequoia was one of the five US high schools that participated in the Bridging the Equity Gap Project. This project aimed to increase enrollment and participation of low-income students in the IB program.

On top of that, Sequoia has shortened the length of some courses, making it easier for more students to participate. Many Standard Level classes are offered as one-year courses, encouraging a higher level of student involvement in the program.

The IB Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) course, which has been traditionally offered for one year, is transitioning to a two-year course to reduce the number of prerequisites and provide students with more time to fully understand the content, in order to increase their chances of success.

At Bergen Cathedral School, diversity means having students from diverse countries and cultures in the classroom. According to an IB student at the school, this creates a unique opportunity to observe “different political opinions based on different cultures and countries, which is quite interesting.” This diversity of nationalities and cultural backgrounds also enriches the classroom environment and provides a broader perspective on global issues. Students get the chance to learn about different cultures and traditions, leading to increased cross-cultural understandings.

Because IB is an international program, I went into this experience with the assumption that IB is the same everywhere. However, I learned that the IB’s uniformity doesn’t change the inevitable influence that different countries and cultures have on education. Despite this, the IB’s goal to prepare students for the challenges of tomorrow by providing them with a globally focused education remains the same.

Boniface highlights the importance of this goal by referencing the school’s motto.“Ex sapientia libertas, means through wisdom and learning to freedom. I think that’s quite relevant today. The value of education is important and you can’t have freedom without having a good education.”