Mr. Stone, previously an IB history teacher, gets promoted to IB coordinator.
Photo By: Brea Jones, Photographer.

By Gouthami Gadamsetty, Copy Editor

With an increase in International Baccalaureate (IB) students at Seminole High School, it was only a matter of time before the position of IB coordinator became a necessity. Mr. Carson Stone is the first person to fill this position at Seminole.

In regards to his new position, Mr. Stone says, “I’m still teaching two classes so I got the teacher aspect, and I’m also doing the coordinating. There’s benefits and drawbacks from doing both; I get to stay in touch with students and maintain the relationships by teaching, which is a real bonus, but there’s also a lot of new tasks and responsibilities I’m learning as coordinator.”

As IB Coordinator, Mr. Stone’s responsibilities include co-managing IB Juniors’ CAS, a component of the IB diploma that requires students to complete creativity, action, and service, hours with Pre-IB Spanish teacher Mrs. Aneida Perez, registering IB students for Standard Level and Higher Level  exams, and meeting with current and potential IB students and parents. Despite not attending training for this new position until later in the first semester, Mr. Stone was able to grasp the new responsibilities of the job quickly.

IB administrator, Mr. Barry Coleman, says, “It’s the first time I’ve worked with all of the Seminole staff. The most challenging thing is going to a new place and getting to know the faculty and students. It’s been fun getting to know [Mr. Stone] personally and working with him professionally.

Mr. Stone taught two classes of IB History of the Americas first semester and is teaching two classes of IB Theory of Knowledge second semester. Mr. Stone expressed how the grading for his History of the Americas classes first semester was rather difficult to balance with his IB Coordinator obligations; lesson planning, on the other hand, was not as difficult due to his experience in the subject. This semester, however, Mr. Stone is teaching IB Theory of Knowledge for the first time.

“I have never taught it before so there’s a lot of work and research going into the lesson planning which is a challenge,” says Mr. Stone. “Ms. Klein has offered a lot of readings I can [use, and I’m] also working with Mr. Scofield, who is also teaching [IB Theory of Knowledge] for the first time. Together we’ve helped each other get the right information to the kids.”

When it comes to teaching styles, Mr. Stone enjoys using engaging classroom activities that allow all the students in the classroom to participate. One of his favorite methods is a discussion buddy system. In this system, each student pairs up with another student to discuss and analyze the lesson being taught in class. Mr. Stone’s engaging teaching strategies make him a favorite among students.

Junior Salwa Meghjee says, “I really like Mr. Stone’s teaching style. He really goes in depth on the topics and explains the reasoning behind something that happened in history, rather than just giving us facts. He also brings us into the discussion and ensures that we’re all participating.”

While Mr. Stone loves teaching and enjoys the opportunity of interacting with others, he says, “I’m looking at opportunities in administration to make a high level impact. [I’m excited] to see what the future holds.”