Taking the time to learn time management

ALMA - It's a Saturday, and yet more than 160 students and teachers are packed into the Northumberland Regional High School auditorium.
They're all here for the same purpose - to take part in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program on essay writing. In order to achieve their IB diplomas, these students (from Northumberland, Sydney Academy, Dr. John H. Gillis in Antigonish and Cobequid Education Centre in Truro) will have to write 4,000 word essays on a subject of their choice.
William Barker, president and vice-chancellor of University of King's College, is there to help guide them through the essay-writing process. He'll talk to them about everything from researching essays to time management. The IB is meant to be a preparatory program for high school students before they head to university, Barker says, adding that those who achieve IB diplomas may get credit for some first-year university courses. And the major essay is an excellent way to prepare high school students for the demands of university academia, he says.
"If you ask any academic counsellor what is the main difficulty for first-year university students, you'll find out it's time management," Barker says. "(By writing these essays), these students will go to university already having experienced it."
After the students complete their essays, they will be graded and evaluated by International markers. John Messenger, head of the International Bacculaureate programs for the province, says part of the success of the IB can be attributed to Nova Scotia universities like King's lending much-needed support. Saturday's specialized IB program wouldn't have been possible without the support of the University of King's College, he says.
"These kind of support programs are unique to Nova Scotia," Messenger says. "There is no other jurisdiction that has students and teachers learning together."
So what do students say is the value of taking an IB program like the one offered at Northumberland High School? "There is so much pressure on first-year university students," says Ian MacFarlane, a Grade 10 student visiting from Dr. John H. Gillis High School. "By taking a program like this, it can prepare us to deal with that pressure."