In the first e-newsletter of the academic year 2024 – 2025, Mr. Gustavo Páez – Principal of the International Programs at WASS – shares insights on the two important core values: Effective Communicator and Risk-taker.

We are starting the academic year with several changes and adjustments, always thinking about the needs of our students and generating a better learning environment.

This month, we started the development of two core values, the first one related to being an effective communicator. Effective communication is indispensable for the interaction to flow organically and for the objectives to be achieved. All of us communicate all the time, but few are the times when we reflect on the scope of the information we transmit and the reception of the messages to other people.

Encouraging the practice and development of this value and skill is fundamental for confidence and self-esteem and for putting into practice the ability to argue and counter-argue in a sustained and eloquent manner.

The second value that is aligned with the IB Learner Profile is being a Risk-taker. The measured risks that our students take every day should be an opportunity for personal growth so that they assume with integrity the results obtained, and are motivated to develop leadership skills with actions that take them out of their comfort zone. Having the confidence to raise their hand in class and demand further explanation or clarification of what is being learned is a sign of this attitude.

I share some recommendations so that you can put them into practice with your children.

Students who are RISK-TAKERS have the courage to try new things. They try to solve problems in a lot of ways. They have the bravery to tell people what they think is right.

How can parents help develop students who are Risk-Takers at home?

If your child is feeling uneasy about trying something, encourage them to attempt it and then reflect on both whether they liked the activity and how it felt to try something new.

Your child might want to set some short-term goals. Consider activities that make him/her nervous. What are realistic goals for the week? Your child might set a goal to:

• Offer an opinion in class
• Spend one recess with someone they might not usually play with
• Order something different from the lunch menu
• Try an activity they haven’t tried before

Be careful to explain to your child the difference between being a risk-taker by trying new things.