One of the many joys of being an IB World School is the regular opportunities it provides for meeting and talking with colleagues teaching across the globe. It was inspiring to spend part of this week sharing ideas and experiences with heads from all manner of schools across Europe.

From a recently-founded international school in Latvia to a large German state school, from a well-established Italian educational institution to a wonderful independent enterprise in Poland, the schools represented at the conference differed in so many ways. We had some joyful conversations about the nuances of approaches to teaching and learning in our various languages. (I learned the German word for mindfulness is Achtsamkeit: I look forward to finding an opportunity to use it in conversation!) And explaining the esoteric acronyms of our various systems prompted interesting discussions about our countries’ educational priorities.