Change. What is change? Every human being undergoes a change in their life as a result of taking risks, or a leap of faith. It’s a personal preference to acquire that change for yourself, as well as move onto the next chapter of your life since it’s often considered an abnormality to many. Residing in a place so new, and unfamiliar to an individual can be the most nerve-racking experience, but it’s the after effect of the entire transition that must be taken into account instead. I came from Dubai; so moving from an area of opulence to another is what it may be perceived as by many people, however I prefer to see it as a challenge. Dubai is a city specially curated for the hearts of tourists and the adoration those share for excursions. A lifestyle in a city like Dubai would not prepare you for the world that is waiting outside your door. I openly faced that fact as soon as I stepped into the doors of Woodstock. I knew that at the back of my head, my entire life was centralized around a bubble; so durable, it lasted 15 years without bursting. I despise change with a great passion; hence explaining the determination I had entrenched within me to refrain myself from moving forward. More than convincing my parents or everyone else around that it would be a regrettable decision, I was trying to convince myself.
MYP to MYP. Fear as an emotion dominated my entire existence as soon as my education was a contributing factor to our settlement. I always had this ingrained perception in my head that the standards of education in India would be illiberal, as well as uncompromising. This justified my recurring train of thoughts on the idea of moving schools from one country to another. You only realize how smooth the transition is once you experience it rather than making assumptions beforehand just because change is everyone’s worst nightmare. The academic year 2022-2023 consists of a number of students who joined from their native area; an environment that was most certainly not IB friendly. Hence, the adaptation for them may be weary, however we must normalize that frequent changeovers is considered an obvious indication of growth. And then, the next step after that is acceptance. So, what makes those people who are transitioning from an MYP to MYP/DP based curriculum any different? Subconsciously, we may believe that the workload we are assigned to on a daily basis is unbalanced. Although that’s what we’ve been taught to believe since prior to Woodstock, we were not presented to the realistic side of education that would potentially benefit us in the long run. Retaining a feeling like this insinuates that we have been treated easily in the past; hence keeping us unprepared for what the future may hold for us in the palm of our hands.
A student in grade 11, age 16 was interviewed where he shared his personal experience, as a teenager, on how the transition from an MYP to DP based curriculum impacted him as well as his life. He was dwelling on the idea that even after moving schools of the same curriculum, the environment at Woodstock is frankly incomparable. Likewise to the statement mentioned above, we were deceived to believe that the workload assigned to us is significantly greater than the amount given in other schools, when in reality it’s all the same. Him expressing this fact further justifies my point. Teachers are also a contributing factor when it comes to reassuring an atmosphere of utmost convenience; hence he was stating how the teachers at Woodstock are “very friendly and nice.” Since he came from an IB curriculum, he noticed how the courses among both schools were very similar which made the transition for him a lot easier overall. “Just the fact that you can sit anywhere, maybe in front of the dining hall, or in front of Tangerine; you can just study, enjoy and relax with your friends. Because of this, I feel like the atmosphere here is quite relaxing and that helps me study better.”
Here’s MYP to MYP for you. It’s simple and convenient if you do your part by putting in the effort needed in order to make the transition a lot smoother than generally anticipated.
Aditi Elayath is a staff reporter.
Edited by Asha.
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