Living the Learner Profile

You can take a teacher out of a PYP school but you can’t take the PYP out of a PYP teacher.

The IB website says this about the Learner Profile:

“The International Baccalaureate® (IB) learner profile describes a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that go beyond academic success.

They imply a commitment to help all members of the school community learn to respect themselves, others and the world around them. Each of the IB’s programmes is committed to the development of students according to the IB learner profile.”

I’d say I am showing signs of living the learner profile here in Bolivia. Here are some examples for each trait:

  • Inquirer: I am constantly inquiring – both about how things work here and at a various offices around the city as I attempt to get my paperwork sorted.
  • Knowledgeable: As a result of my constant inquiry and questioning, I am becoming more knowledgeable about Bolivian culture and customs.
  • Thinker: Every time I speak with someone in Spanish (i.e. all day long), I am thinking about how to express myself (and how to conjugate my verbs). 
  • Communicator: I am using Spanish all day, every day with everyone I interact with. It has been 21 years since I spoke it on a regular basis but I am getting by and it is getting better. As part of my volunteer position, I reply to all the emails sent to inquiry about volunteering opportunities and I post on the BiblioWorks social media channels. I have also been updating this blog far more than I ever have in the past.
  • Principled: I respect the people I interact with regardless of their background.
  • Open-minded: I had corn based drinks for breakfast when visiting a small town. Enough said. IMG_8309
  • Caring: I am working to develop relationships with the people I work with as well as those I buy from at the market and interact with at various businesses. (I have a great contact at the migration office in Sucre if anyone needs a residency permit…)
  • Risk-taker: I moved to a country (and continent) I had never been to to take up an unpaid position with an organisation I found via a Google search. Also crossing the road here can be a bit daunting (even with zebra crossing guards). Pedestrians do not have the right away and turning vehicles will take you out even if you have the green light in the direction you are crossing. 

IMG_7799

  • Balanced: I am working to eat well, get enough sleep and exercise and to not only focus on work. (I could stand to have a bit more of a social life but I think it will come.)
  • Reflective: I am constantly reflecting on what I am experiencing as well as how it fits with my own ideas and past experiences.

Now I wonder if I’d be able to come up with examples for all of the PYP attitudes…