This first one is very atypical in tone compared to just about all my other poems. As we neared the end of the International Baccalaureate course at Exeter College in the spring of 2009, I decided to put pen to paper and write a humorous summary of our two years on the course for my fellow suffer...I mean students. Everyone got a copy, and apparently it was a hit among the teachers too and ended up on the staffroom wall, before someone pinched it. Anyway, there are a lot of in-jokes, but anyone who did the IB will hopefully relate to it a bit!
Things get more serious from here on in...
ODE TO THE I.B. AND ALL ITS STUDENTS
Well here we all are
in the last days of college
The end of the IB,
with all of the knowledge
It gave us – or tried
to. Did we take it all in?
And the lessons we hated,
was that really a sin?
I’ll talk of those
lessons now, simply because
It’s the subjects
that made the IB what it was
Love ’em or hate ’em,
you just can’t deny
They all had to be
studied, though some made us cry.
Column 1 – maths. To
some this was a joy
But I’m really more
of a humanities boy
So I stuck to Maths
Studies. Please, no more Pythagoras
Seems like all those
numbers were just there to stagger us.
Column 2 –
humanities. My favourite stuff
History, geography,
can’t get enough
Psychology also
looked quite interesting
Though I never quite
saw it as my sort of thing.
Column 3 – arty
subjects. Oh dear, not for me
Film Studies and Art
were not my cup of tea
But I really admire
the creative crew
And I hope that the
future holds great things for you.
Column 4 – sciences.
Hmmm, not too bad
Though one or two
topics did make me quite sad
To Systems people,
let me say one word please
Yes they all know
what’s coming – that one word is ‘Trees!’
Column 5 – English.
The old mother tongue
Excellent whether
written, read, spoken, or sung
Poetic analysis,
Shakespeare, World Lit
But it wasn’t for
everyone, that I admit.
Column 6 – languages.
One of my strengths
Spanish and German
and don’t forget French
Italian, Japanese,
let the words flow
There’s no doubt that
this lingo stuff’s useful to know.
The subjects aren’t
finished yet – Theory Of Knowledge
Was a strange little
aspect of our time at college
As we prayed for
success with our TOK presentation
I personally thought,
‘Help! Too much information!’
The Extended Essay we
shouldn’t forget
Though as I write
this I’ve not started it yet
It looks like a lot
of hard work to be done
I’ll have to work
every hour under the sun!
Just when we thought
all that was pretty hard work
There in the shadows
the CAS hours did lurk
What with Creativity,
Service, and Action
We barely had time to
get everything done.
That’s an idea that
came to define the IB
No time for your
music, no time for TV
Had to manage time
wisely, revise for that test
And we knew deep
inside us that Betty knew best…
But all of the time
we were tested and graded
Making us more and
more fed up and jaded!
Yes, exams are a
hassle, there’s no doubt about it
The boredom and
strain, we’d be better without it.
As for me, it’s been
good on the whole I suppose
Else I might start
conveying my ideas in prose!
I’ve annoyed many people,
but made good friends as well
And I hope you’ll
forgive me for giving you hell.
I did make some good
jokes though, you have to admit
But while a few were
quite funny, the rest were just…dreadful
Having said that, I’m
happy that I tried my best
Though my puns mostly
ended up failing the test!
But you’ve mostly
been nice to me, heaven knows why
You’ve all made me
laugh (and occasionally cry)
And thank you for
making me part of the scene
Whether talking of
jellyfish or dancing to Queen!
It’s been crazy,
upsetting, annoying, and tragic
But also intriguing,
hilarious, magic
These two years have
been quite a journey for me
They should put it on
T-shirts: ‘I survived the IB!’
Now my poem is
rapidly nearing its close
(I bet you’re wishing
it really was in prose)
Just one more last
stanza will let it survive
Then it’s time for us
all to move on with our lives.
So, soon off to uni,
or first a gap year
(A popular option, so
it would appear)
What the future may
hold for us, no-one can tell
But good luck to you
all, and take care, and farewell!
With lots of love and
best wishes from your IB pal Adam.
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