Culture Shock or Culture Celebration......
Today the academic year started with a combined assembly and the best part of it was that the whole school was there including even the non teaching staff. The corridor was adorned with a series of flags from 12 different countries,Germany, Poland, USA, Zambia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Serbia, Bhutan, Tibet, UK, Korea and India, to welcome the students at OIS who were from these countries. I just wondered what brought these students from the different parts of the world, who were culturally so very different from the host country of OIS , India, that too within a year of its inception. There was no strong infrastructure or results as of now that could have attracted them. It is the people behind Oaktree whom all these students have trusted and have faith in, probably, is what had brought them here.
Today as Mr. Paul Regan started the assembly dot on 8.00 a.m ( which I understood by now that he practices punctuality), I felt that the treasure box which I had seen yesterday was not in a dream and that it would not be taken away. I could use the valuables everyday and probably could even fill the box more.
As he welcomed the students from 12 different countries to OIS, he significantly touched the issue of being global but acting local by introducing and talking about the beautiful city of joy KOLKATA, where the school is located. He went forth to explain, that the first barrier that the second generation of students needed to cross was that of Culture shock. To deal with this he asked the students to revolve their thoughts around four qualities...Respect, Behaviour, Attitude and Responsibility. In professing these qualities and inculcating the learner profile attributes they would very soon overcome the culture shock and be more near to the third culture...the IB Culture at Oaktree.
His next topic of discussion was TOK as he announced the next TOK theme of discussion as LOVE and made it sure that the thought process was not just limited to the DP but also percolated down to the little MYP minds. The way he gave examples of how love would mean to everybody made an interesting piece for all of us.
After all of this he lucidly took all of us through a very unique example of international mindedness
at display in the recent Olympics 2012 at LONDON. A three–tiered rostrum is used for the three medal winners, with the gold medal winner ascending to the highest platform. After medals are distributed, the flags of the nations of the three medalists are raised. The flag of the gold medalist's country is in the center and raised the highest while the flag of the silver medalist's country is on the left facing the flags and the flag of the bronze medalist's country is on the right, both at lower elevations than the gold medalist's country's flag. The flags are raised while the national anthem of the gold medalist's country plays.So that was celebrating culture.
With this he welcomed everyone to the Internationalism at OIS where not one culture but celebrating everyone's culture was important.
Today the academic year started with a combined assembly and the best part of it was that the whole school was there including even the non teaching staff. The corridor was adorned with a series of flags from 12 different countries,Germany, Poland, USA, Zambia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Serbia, Bhutan, Tibet, UK, Korea and India, to welcome the students at OIS who were from these countries. I just wondered what brought these students from the different parts of the world, who were culturally so very different from the host country of OIS , India, that too within a year of its inception. There was no strong infrastructure or results as of now that could have attracted them. It is the people behind Oaktree whom all these students have trusted and have faith in, probably, is what had brought them here.
Today as Mr. Paul Regan started the assembly dot on 8.00 a.m ( which I understood by now that he practices punctuality), I felt that the treasure box which I had seen yesterday was not in a dream and that it would not be taken away. I could use the valuables everyday and probably could even fill the box more.
As he welcomed the students from 12 different countries to OIS, he significantly touched the issue of being global but acting local by introducing and talking about the beautiful city of joy KOLKATA, where the school is located. He went forth to explain, that the first barrier that the second generation of students needed to cross was that of Culture shock. To deal with this he asked the students to revolve their thoughts around four qualities...Respect, Behaviour, Attitude and Responsibility. In professing these qualities and inculcating the learner profile attributes they would very soon overcome the culture shock and be more near to the third culture...the IB Culture at Oaktree.
His next topic of discussion was TOK as he announced the next TOK theme of discussion as LOVE and made it sure that the thought process was not just limited to the DP but also percolated down to the little MYP minds. The way he gave examples of how love would mean to everybody made an interesting piece for all of us.
After all of this he lucidly took all of us through a very unique example of international mindedness
at display in the recent Olympics 2012 at LONDON. A three–tiered rostrum is used for the three medal winners, with the gold medal winner ascending to the highest platform. After medals are distributed, the flags of the nations of the three medalists are raised. The flag of the gold medalist's country is in the center and raised the highest while the flag of the silver medalist's country is on the left facing the flags and the flag of the bronze medalist's country is on the right, both at lower elevations than the gold medalist's country's flag. The flags are raised while the national anthem of the gold medalist's country plays.So that was celebrating culture.
With this he welcomed everyone to the Internationalism at OIS where not one culture but celebrating everyone's culture was important.
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