It was again that time of the year! Come September and every IB student and teacher is jittery, apprehending the nature of the TOK Prescribed Titles for that session. However, if the preparation is right, there is nothing to fear. And as part of that preparation, the TOK Bistro becomes an integral part of the TOK journey! This year there was a small difference – we went virtual, courtesy the pandemic. Nevertheless, there was no deterring from the process. On 10th October, all the IBDP students, parents and the entire faculty of CPS Global School, Thirumazhisai, congregated to discuss the nuances of the May 2021 TOK prescribed titles. The virtual platform paved way for expert adviser, Mrs. Pushpaja Nambiar, IB examiner (TOK) and TOK Coordinator of Symbiosis International School, all the way from Pune, to join us.
The presence of Mrs. Nambiar enhanced the intellectual discussion wherein she guided the students on further unpacking of the titles following a similar in-class exercise, especially from the examiners’ perspective. This added a special dimension to the Bistro as did the presence of the alumni and ex teachers also joining in. So strong is the IB philosophy and its CORE that once an IB facilitator, will remain always one. Alumni included the May 2020 school topper and ex-head girl, Kavya Subramanian, and TOK ‘A’ grader, Chanakya Kalyanaraman joining to give their valuable inputs in spite of their online classes at college. This goes onto prove whether a student or teacher, IB philosophy changes one’s outlook to life and TOK has a major part to play- we do not just experience it while doing IBDP but imbibe it in our ethos!
Everyone was engrossed, quite evident from the different questions and queries being clarified by both students and teachers. Six breakout rooms as per the titles engaged the entire CPS GS family in advancing the discussion and very reluctantly, after almost 2 and a half hours the session had to be ended, promising that this was the beginning of the TOK journey. And ‘miles to go before (we) sleep…’ in the words of Robert Frost.
