The IB Program Demeans American Values

If you read my title and deem it ridiculous, join the club.

AsianWeek.com recently posted an article about the International Baccalaureate program. Obviously, since it's another form of higher education within high school, all the Asian people want to tap that resource. My father, too, believed that IB would give me a competitive edge and nudged me to be in the program. So in high school I took both IB and AP classes like my fellow IB peers, leaving us tired but still quite OK.

The author of the article seems to be somewhat anti-IB because it just seems to be an excuse to make Asian teens do more work to better their chances of getting into an Ivy League school. But then he takes a somewhat shocking turn and hints that this program is going to ruin America and "American" education as he has chosen to quote an argument by a member of the Peoria Unified School District [in Glendale, AZ] board meeting.



I, too, shall quote this argument:

IBO (International Baccalaureate Organization) and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) � websites state IB is an �International System of Education.�  IBO says its curriculum is “the best possible” because IB teaches the beliefs and values of the UN as defined in the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights [UDHR]. These are the rights recognized or �granted� by the United Nations � not the God given rights recognized in our Declaration of Independence and protected under our United States Constitution.

Personally, I had no idea that the ideals and spirit of the US Constitution would be so different from the UN Declaration of Human Rights. I'm a fan of a global education. By watching Waiting for "Superman" and coming into terms with how poorly the American education system fairs compared to other developed nations, how can we neglect to give kids the opportunity of learning more? Here's why:

The IB’s goal to advance global governance and promote world citizenship over U.S. citizenship is made very clear by the words of its directors. “International Baccalaureate school curriculum remains committed to changing children’s values so they think globally, rather than in parochial national terms from their own country’s viewpoint”, stated retired IB director-general George Walker.
The IB program doesn�t want to teach our children HOW to think but rather WHAT to think. When Government, especially a �world government� as the United Nations envisions, becomes the grantor rather than the guarantor of rights then we are all in danger of losing our God given rights as American citizens.  That is what the IB program and the United Nations would have us teach our children. 

This all seems a little far-fetched to me. Giving our kids the ability to have a global education is just what many Americans need. I do not believe it would be fair or wise to cut out the IB program in a school because it would threaten American values. Because it doesn't. Sure, cut it out because it's too expensive, but not because you feel like it will hurt society.

(Granted, I wouldn't excitedly recommend for you to be in IB. I'm not, like, a fanatic of IB or anything.)

I'm all for taking AP and IB classes and taking tests in order to give yourself challenges in school. They're not merely for giving you a one-up in college admissions, but they let high schoolers have a chance to really enrich their education and learn more than they can in a regular classroom setting. Am I right? To undermine a program whose mission is to create a more global student, a student who can think critically and ask why, not how is despicable.