Beat the Teachers

Earlier in June, a group of our IB students jetted off to Iceland for an unforgettable adventure. Damian Toader from 12A shares his experience of this incredible trip, capturing the essence of Iceland's breathtaking landscapes and unique natural phenomena through his lens as the group's photographer.

 

Dear Parents,

As we approach the end of this term and the academic year, we take great pride in celebrating the multitude of successes our children have achieved. This period has been filled with events showcasing the diverse talents and interests of our students here at BIS Abu Dhabi. From the creativity of our dance performances, our success at sports competitions to the incredible ongoing school trips, from the talent displayed at the BISAD’s Got Talent audition and our Open Mic sessions to the World Scholars Cup and the Quran reading, our calendar has been brimming with opportunities for our students to shine.

At the recent Year 13 Graduation event, I mused on the theme of truth, inspired as I was by the very hard academic work that any Year 13 student must go through to graduate successfully and achieve a place at the university of their choice.   It seems to me that academic work is entirely about truth and our perpetual search for it, although I know many would disagree.  Students in particular generally want a different answer when they ask the question ‘why am I learning this?’.  Students want to know all about the lesson content’s practical application, whether they’ll need this ‘fact’ for an exam, or whether what they are learning will help them get a job.   When I reply ‘we are learning this, because we want to discover the truth about the world we live in….’ I suppose I’m sometimes met with understandable bemusement.  Truth is a strange concept, a tricky one.  ‘Learn this, because it will be on your end of term exam…!’ is a much simpler answer.  But it’s the wrong one.  Teachers shouldn’t be teaching so that students can pass exams, we should be teaching to encourage discovery.  And what do we want young people to discover?  Truth.

Last weekend witnessed a clash of arts events. In Abu Dhabi, Cranleigh hosted the annual BSME Dance Festival, while in Dubai, our sister school NAS Dubai hosted the first Regional Nord Anglia Performing Arts Festival. Students from BIS Abu Dhabi attended both events and gave their all.