Several full IB candidates found the transition to the IB program junior year the hardest year of high school.

Pre-IB classes during freshman and sophomore years gradually introduced what teachers expect at the IB level. IB Coordinator Mavis Roesch doesn’t believe students have sufficient preparation for IB. 

“I think the main problem is they haven’t been introduced to the IB learner profile in their ninth and tenth grade classes, and we cannot afford to train our ninth and tenth grade teachers in the IB program; and so there isn’t the continuity that we want,” Roesch said.

“If we could train all of the teachers in this school in the IB program, the transition would be much easier for students.”

The IB curriculum can stress students.

The work load shocked junior Jasmine Myers, a full IB candidate. It was stressful, and many students didn’t adjust to going to bed late every night.

“I’d say I’m most worried about getting a bigger workload and settling in to the tougher more rigorous IB courses,” sophomore and future IB candidate Holden Sherer said.

“I am most worried about how hard the classes will be from the ones I’m taking now and that I won’t be able to transition well,” sophomore and future IB candidate Dominique Smith said.

Senior Michael Bolling encountered many challenges in transitioning to the IB curriculum.

“I was very worried about the coming junior year, as the juniors and seniors had warned me it would be the worst. But after the first couple of months, you learn to deal with the increased amounts of homework and stress,” Bolling said.

Teachers have observed students struggle over the years and can point out common troubles with the transition.

According to Jeremy Nichols, students struggle academically with writing in detail and in depth, reading college level text and being inquiry thinkers. He believes he does not do a good job helping students ask their own questions.

Teacher Andrew Docktor noticed that students struggled with balancing their time and handling time commitments.

“You really have to learn to pace yourself and take the work in even strides…that’s really how difficult it is. It takes practice and discipline; you just have to find a routine,” senior Michael Sherer said.

Curriculum generalist Paul Gessner recommended students seek help if struggling with a certain topic because if students fall behind, it is not easy to catch up.

Despite the struggle to adjust to the IB program, teachers have attempted to make things easier for students.

Docktor gives his students assignments with longer deadlines to allow more time on each assignment and decrease stress students would have if they had to turn the assignment in the next day.

One solution proposed was the adding of a Middle Years Program. The program requires a personal project in tenth grade, a precursor to the extended essay required in twelfth grade.

Another solution to the strenuous IB program may be a modified block schedule. Having the option to plan out one’s time instead of following the same routine of class five times a week could serve IB better, Roesch said.

After junior year, students learn to cope with challenges that come, said Bolling.

Students find the help they need through the Upward Bound program, the People Program and the community learning center. Students also ask for tutoring, and others get help from their parents at home, Roesch said.

Because a solution is not in effect, students have to take steps to prepare for the IB program. Taking the initiative and preparing over the summer will help students transition and stay prepared for junior and senior year.