In the joyful spirit of International Women’s Day, Mr. Gustavo Páez shares his insights on gender equality and inspire WASSers to recognize the importance of creating a fair learning environment and society.

March was a month of various aspects to be considered as awareness. With the dizzying pace of technology, various global indicators are affecting people’s recurring dynamics, such as average sleep time and perception of happiness. One of the significant events held this month was to commemorate Women’s Day as a fundamental aspect of encouragement to share insights on gender equality and inspire students to recognize the importance of building a fair learning environment and society – a place where everyone has equal opportunities to grow and succeed, regardless of gender. While we still have a long way to go to ensure that fairness in existing opportunities is equal for all people, the challenge for these generations is to strike a balance and make a difference.

The core values that we began to reflect on with the students were being Principled and nurturing leadership. Although they are two different aspects, they go hand in hand in terms of consolidating their skills. I share the post “What does it mean to become a Principled Person?”, which states:

“The IB defines a principled person as someone who acts with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice, and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups, and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.” (IBO, 2019)

At WASS, we will explore the “Principled” learner profile by identifying and learning about principled leaders inside the classroom. Students learn more about this learner profile trait during homeroom, specialist, and library classes and monthly assemblies through videos and reflections.

Parents, if you observe your child being principled, please let him or her know! Your positive comments will help to reinforce this profile as well as to provide examples as good actions occur. Another good idea is to discuss some common phrases and what they actually mean. “What does it mean to compromise your principles? What does it mean to stand up for your principles?”

The only way to make a difference and make a significant change in our society is to build global awareness of what it takes to be a better person and citizen.

Warm regards,

Mr. Gustavo Páez
Principal of International Programs