First of all, I want to begin by expressing my gratitude to everybody who has contributed to my LIS experience over the past ten years.
To all the teachers who have taught us and provided us with the environment to learn, you have unlocked our passions for your respective subjects, be it mathematics with Mr. Hampton, music with Ms. Annie in primary and Mr. Foulkes in secondary, and many more subjects.
My thanks also go out to the staff and administration working tirelessly behind the scenes, making the school run smoothly and creating a constructive learning environment for those who seek it out. To our Hausmeisters maintaining the facilities to ensure a safe and welcoming environment, as well as the cleaning staff, who work hard once we have all left the school, making sure our messes magically disappear every day.
And to all the teachers, staff, and faculty members who work extra hours to make the extracurricular programme possible. Thanks to you, my most cherished memories at LIS have been made possible, moments at GISST or weekends in the music room, truly a heartfelt thank you.
Of course, not to forget our friends and our family, who keep us sane, though sometimes testing our patience.
Mama, Papa, ich kann nicht in Worte fassen, wie dankbar ich bin. Wegen euch stehe ich heute hier oben, wo mir die Welt zu Füßen liegt. Ich hab euch so lieb.
Finally, you guys, my classmates, peers, friends—we’ve travelled this journey together, starting in kindergarten for some of us, onto primary, middle school, IGCSEs, and now finally IB. Believe it or not, we are on top. Together we’ve made this experience what it has been, unforgettable and mostly harmless.
At this point, I think it’s also important to mention that, given the circumstances, any of us could be standing up here today. I’m not special by any stretch of the imagination. I’m roughly as old as the rest of you, and I know nothing about the real world. Who am I to tell you anything? Who am I to tell you how to live your life?
Instead, I would like to share with you what I’ve learnt mainly from these past two years doing the IB. Stealing a little from Yuval Noah Harari’s ’21 Lessons for the 21st Century,’ but 21 is a bit much, so let’s cut that down to about 3. So I present ‘3 Lessons (I Learnt from IB) for My Last 3 Brain Cells.’
The first lesson I would like to share with you that I learned because of IB is: Consistency. We all know that taking your time and walking the long, winding path is a lot easier than waiting until the last minute to climb the steep wall. IB has shown me that it’s so much easier to overcome setbacks if you’re being consistent. For instance, after a great session of high-quality procrastination, you don’t have to beat yourself up. In fact, you shouldn’t. This is completely counterproductive and causes unnecessary guilt. You can’t change the past, so ask yourself, ‘Hey, what can I do to prevent this from happening again in the future?’ This all comes back to the old adage, ‘Consistency is key.’
Now onto my second lesson, which I learnt from the IB: Preparation. We all know that feeling of sitting in front of your homework, IA, EE, and thinking, ‘What on earth am I going to do? Where do I even start?’ I’ve discovered the importance of two, three, and sometimes even more hours of preparation to find the right resources or figure out what the assignment is even asking. Although this initially usually feels like a waste of time because you’re thinking, ‘I need to be studying right now,’ preparation helped me so much in the long run, helping me learn productively and making sure that I’m not wasting my time. It kind of links to something I love to tell Trixie: ‘Work smart, not hard.’
Now finally, lesson number three, which I place the most value on: Focus on YOUR goals. This means a few things. First, you need to set yourself goals. I understand we’re all more or less 18 years old and have no idea what we want to do in the future. But goals don’t need to be as specific as saying, ‘I want to be working in this city at this firm at this age.’ They can be more abstract, like aiming to be a kind person. Focusing on your goals also means that you’re not focusing on other people’s goals, i.e., you’re not comparing yourself to people who have different goals because their journey is different, their path is different, and they have different priorities. Allow me to repeat: don’t compare yourself to people who have different goals. Furthermore, focusing on your own goals also implies something Mr. Dindorf imparted to me just before he left. He told me, ‘Don’t allow other people’s expectations to impact your actions.’ Be guided by your expectations and not other people’s expectations. At the end of the day, you’re the one stuck living your life, not them!
Of course, I realise this is all easier said than done. It’s unrealistic to expect anyone to follow these lessons every single day. I’m the perfect example of a hypocrite, writing this speech until 1 a.m. last night. Nonetheless, I want to use these lessons:
#1 Consistency
#2 Preparation
#3 Focus on YOUR goals
As a guide for my last three brain cells.
I hope you can take away a thing or two from my ramblings.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
[Loosely transcribed from the valedictorian speech]
Tina W.