'Stupid' people in IB?

[Daedalus]

If you think about the IB statistics - average grade 30, If I remember correctly - you have to take into consideration the fact that for every person that gets over 30, somebody has to get less. And since I doubt there's a 15 for every 45 or a 20 for every 40, it's most likely that the distribution is lopsided.

What I'm trying to say I guess is that there are always brighter and less bright people in IB, just as there are in all walks of life (including among the Presidents of America). But don't confuse lack of education with bitchiness. Ke$ha took IB and got 'near perfect' SAT scores according to wikipedia...

And even if some people in IB are less bright, I think people on the other side of the scale should do their best to help them out. You don't choose your physical appearance, and at least you have plastic surgery to help you out, but there's no way of implanting brain cells into your brain.

[Globe]

What I'm trying to say I guess is that there are always brighter and less bright people in IB, just as there are in all walks of life (including among the Presidents of America). But don't confuse lack of education with bitchiness. Ke$ha took IB and got 'near perfect' SAT scores according to wikipedia...

And even if some people in IB are less bright, I think people on the other side of the scale should do their best to help them out. You don't choose your physical appearance, and at least you have plastic surgery to help you out, but there's no way of implanting brain cells into your brain.

*citation needed*

Yeah. I have no problem with them not being intellectually suburb, but when you are below the norm AND you sit in class all day and text, and make the teacher take time out of class to explain concepts to you, it's a disturbance of our class time and I find it a stupid idea. We are going to have native spanish speakers in our IB English HL, when they could take AP English, Honors english, english as a second language, or normal english, but they decide to take IB when they have no prior knowledge of the language, and it's going to disturb our class.

And I disagree, I think anyone can achieve whatever potential they want. Only if they try, which I don't sense these people ever doing.

[Frozy]

I think anyone can do the IB, regardless of intellect, as long as one gets the right subjects and is somewhat organized. But of course I've had people in my classes who weren't organized at all and didn't like their subjects and it didn't go too well for them, I believe.

it is not point in intellect, it's about their behaviour and how they treat other people in class

[Narcissist]

Come on, you don't need to be intelligent to get an IB diploma.

It sure helps, a lot, and if you are intelligent the IB is a great choice because of its reputation and the high quality pre-uni education.

But really, to get a high overall result what you need is ambition, determination and discipline. Those who have neither that nor brain tend to leave the train quite instantaneously. And yeah I think we all have a few of these in the beginning of the course, I just try to enjoy it...

[Daedalus]

What I'm trying to say I guess is that there are always brighter and less bright people in IB, just as there are in all walks of life (including among the Presidents of America). But don't confuse lack of education with bitchiness. Ke$ha took IB and got 'near perfect' SAT scores according to wikipedia...

And even if some people in IB are less bright, I think people on the other side of the scale should do their best to help them out. You don't choose your physical appearance, and at least you have plastic surgery to help you out, but there's no way of implanting brain cells into your brain.

*citation needed*

Yeah. I have no problem with them not being intellectually suburb, but when you are below the norm AND you sit in class all day and text, and make the teacher take time out of class to explain concepts to you, it's a disturbance of our class time and I find it a stupid idea. We are going to have native spanish speakers in our IB English HL, when they could take AP English, Honors english, english as a second language, or normal english, but they decide to take IB when they have no prior knowledge of the language, and it's going to disturb our class.

And I disagree, I think anyone can achieve whatever potential they want. Only if they try, which I don't sense these people ever doing.

I can understand people who text all day in class.. it's hard to reconcile the need to be 'cool' and the need to pay attention. People take it too far in both directions.

As for the 'anyone can achieve whatever potential they want' statement, I'm sorry but that's just naive idealism. Not every kid in America could be President, no matter how hard they tried (then again, if Bush did it...) - and similarly, we can't all be Ibsen or Shakespeare or Faulkner. Some people are just born less bright, and others can get through IB without doing any homework except their IAs and still get top marks. There's literally no way to argue this point: the limits of your life are determined and birth. They may be further out than we tend to believe, but you can be sure that they are determined at birth.

[Globe]

What I'm trying to say I guess is that there are always brighter and less bright people in IB, just as there are in all walks of life (including among the Presidents of America). But don't confuse lack of education with bitchiness. Ke$ha took IB and got 'near perfect' SAT scores according to wikipedia...

And even if some people in IB are less bright, I think people on the other side of the scale should do their best to help them out. You don't choose your physical appearance, and at least you have plastic surgery to help you out, but there's no way of implanting brain cells into your brain.

*citation needed*

Yeah. I have no problem with them not being intellectually suburb, but when you are below the norm AND you sit in class all day and text, and make the teacher take time out of class to explain concepts to you, it's a disturbance of our class time and I find it a stupid idea. We are going to have native spanish speakers in our IB English HL, when they could take AP English, Honors english, english as a second language, or normal english, but they decide to take IB when they have no prior knowledge of the language, and it's going to disturb our class.

And I disagree, I think anyone can achieve whatever potential they want. Only if they try, which I don't sense these people ever doing.

I can understand people who text all day in class.. it's hard to reconcile the need to be 'cool' and the need to pay attention. People take it too far in both directions.

As for the 'anyone can achieve whatever potential they want' statement, I'm sorry but that's just naive idealism. Not every kid in America could be President, no matter how hard they tried (then again, if Bush did it...) - and similarly, we can't all be Ibsen or Shakespeare or Faulkner. Some people are just born less bright, and others can get through IB without doing any homework except their IAs and still get top marks. There's literally no way to argue this point: the limits of your life are determined and birth. They may be further out than we tend to believe, but you can be sure that they are determined at birth.

True, however offtopic this is, you are right. I still believe through trying you can achieve great things. Math was always my thing, I got a 760 math on my first SAT when I was 14, but I got only a 500 reading, since then I've brought my reading up to 690. Sure it's not amazing, but reading a book a week for a year did work.

I guess, not whatever they want, but still, I think that a lot of our intelligence is built upon life experiences more than genetics; by that I mean I don't believe the willingness to learn is hereditary, but the ability to learn is. Wanting to learn something, in my opinion, is a lot more important than being good at it. Genetics and evolution are what I love, and coincidentally I'm good at it, but I'm a lot better at pure math/calculus, but it bores me.

What bothers me is people who take say History HL, who are neither good at history, AND who whine at every assignment we had to do during the history prep class, constantly saying they hated history. I'd have no problem if they wanted to learn history, but when they so clearly don't it just seems pointless.

Edited August 30, 2010 by Run

[Jackie]

What bothers me is people who take say History HL, who are neither good at history, AND who whine at every assignment we had to do during the history prep class, constantly saying they hated history. I'd have no problem if they wanted to learn history, but when they so clearly don't it just seems pointless.

Keep in mind when you say this that you must have 3 or 4 HL classes. Unless you are at a school that has freedom with your IB classes, contrast to my school and many in the US, most really don't get to choose their most favourite classes for HL. At my school, A1 English HL and HOA HL are REQUIRED. Also, if their option is to take either HL History or HL Math, I'm sure most would choose History, cause hell, HL Math is some tough ****.

[Globe]

What bothers me is people who take say History HL, who are neither good at history, AND who whine at every assignment we had to do during the history prep class, constantly saying they hated history. I'd have no problem if they wanted to learn history, but when they so clearly don't it just seems pointless.

Keep in mind when you say this that you must have 3 or 4 HL classes. Unless you are at a school that has freedom with your IB classes, contrast to my school and many in the US, most really don't get to choose their most favourite classes for HL. At my school, A1 English HL and HOA HL are REQUIRED. Also, if their option is to take either HL History or HL Math, I'm sure most would choose History, cause hell, HL Math is some tough ****.

Would be true if they were doing their diploma, but they aren't. I don't even think they're doing certificates. o.O

[Jackie]

Would be true if they were doing their diploma, but they aren't. I don't even think they're doing certificates. o.O

...Seriously? *headdesk* I can completely see where you are coming from on that. I actually enjoy HL HoA and that would seriously piss me off if they were complaining their butts off when there is literally no point to being in the class.

[Redbean]

in our school they take

HL English, HL business and HL language

=/ and math studies

and they do not do ib diploma and usually go to an unknown college or a community college

the more academic students

either English, History, Geo HL

or psychics, chem, math HL (the really smart guys)

one guy who seems like those ditzy people is actually doing really well in his highers (pyshics, chem, math)he's really smart. there are loads of people like that inour school, they seem "stupid" but they are in fact smarter than you think.

the ambitious girls take (bio, chem, english/business/language)

i am going to do my chem hl review now!

[Ray]

the fact is that I don't find what people define as "stupid people" to be annoying to have in the class, I find them to be ..... interesting, and some questions/answres can really light up your day.

In math, (we were in SL cause that is the only IB math school has), in grade 11 IB math, apparently 1/3 of my class think that (x+2)^2 gives you x^2+4..... I know they have their strength but listen to these answers just crack me up.

So just because they are not as "intellegent" as you are at a subject, like someone already said, you should try and help them, right?

[Julia32]

At my school there are so many people doing it that I just think, why are you wasting your time?

But for me last year I was getting no higher than Bs and I got 3 Ds! I was in a bad state, but doing the IB has motivated me and know my lowest grade is a B with mostly As ( 6s and 7s)

[wombat123]

In my school there's almost this "split" between the super intense people and the more laid back ones. But I would say that even if a person is really intelligent, they need effort and time management to do well in IB.

[IBVeryStressed]

Yes, everyone in my school takes the same classes until junior year, when we are separated between the diploma program and general population.

It makes it so much harder for the good students to learn

[Antiares]

Well, I don't know how many "Idiots" take IB, but it can't be that many. At my school, very few people do the IB Diploma...

Edited November 28, 2010 by Antiares

[jtsang]

Hahaha. So I just learned via Facebook that the "preppy" rich girls are going to be in a lot of my IB courses. It's hard for me to comprehend girls who ask questions like "isn't physics some sort of biology or something like that?" and "is the USA in debt?" taking Theory of Knowledge... -sigh-

What's it like at your school? Do you feel that there are a lot of people who really shouldn't be taking IB courses that do?

Actually in my experience if those people are actually that dumb, the work involved in IB takes them out pretty fast and they end up going to some posh private school. If they stay its most likely because their parents are able to pull the strings just to keep them in for the sake of the name. In reality there are a lot of strings you can pull to stay in IB but in the end its reaallyyy not worth it, especially seeing as being dumb really gets you nowhere in that kind of environment.

Surprisingly enough, many girls will put up a "dumb ditz" act while in IB for the sake of having idiotic fun. In some cases it makes them come off as slackers/preppy, but it's their way of dealing with stress. They preserve themselves (in a way) by trying not to face questions directly. When the guns are down though (a.k.a seminars, IOP, IA, IOC) they're very sharp, and they keep up their grades well, though it may not seem like it.