In Defense of Being Confused: On the IB and Uncertainty

The IB is designed to produce students who can think clearly, argue coherently, and structure their ideas. And it's good at that.

But I want to push back on something. I think the most important thing I've learned at RCN isn't how to write a clear essay or solve a calculus problem. It's how to be confused — and be okay with it.

Living with people from 80+ countries means your assumptions get challenged constantly. Things you thought were universal turn out to be cultural. Ideas you held firmly start to feel less certain.

The IB doesn't really have a rubric for that. There's no mark for productive confusion.

But I think that's where the real learning happens. Not in the moment of clarity, but in the messy, uncomfortable moment before it — when you realize you don't actually know what you think.

So here's my defense of being confused: it means you're paying attention. It means the experience is working.

Don't rush to resolve it. Sit with it. That's the whole point.