“You don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward.” - Taylor Swift
Fifth grade students didn’t walk into their recent International Baccalaureate IB assembly with a checklist of answers and they weren’t expected to. Instead, they stood up, spoke out, and listened to one another as they explored an important idea together you can start with a dream, and then plan how to make it happen, using questions, connections, and support along the way.
The interactive assembly brought the entire fifth grade together to launch the 5th Grade IB Vision Board Project, an experience designed to help students identify their strengths, visualize their goals, and build confidence and motivation for the future. Rather than sitting quietly, students stood among their peers to answer questions, share ideas, and respond to one another’s thinking, creating a space where learning happened collectively.
As part of the project, students will create personal vision boards filled with words, pictures, drawings, and quotes that represent their goals for the new year, their dreams for the future, and positive reminders of what matters most to them. The boards will reflect aspirations related to school, home, and personal growth. As teachers emphasized during the assembly, “This board is all about you.”
When students were asked what goals they might include, the responses were as varied as they were thoughtful. Goals ranged from “be a good skateboarder,” to “travel more,” to “be more kind to others.” Students were also asked to name people who inspire them, and they pointed to family members like dads and cousins, athletes, and performers such as Lin Manuel Miranda. When asked what it takes to reach a goal, students shared clear and honest insights “practice,” “keep doing it,” and “ask someone for help.”
Teachers used the assembly as an opportunity to reinforce what IB learning is all about. Students were reminded that IB helps you learn how to learn by encouraging curiosity, reflection, and connections across ideas and experiences. Teachers emphasized that returning to this type of hands on, inquiry based work is intentional because practicing these skills over time helps students strengthen how they think, learn, and approach challenges as academic expectations grow. Teachers revisited past IB projects and helped students identify the common thread running through them inquiry. When asked what inquiry means, students responded with phrases like “keep on learning” and “ask questions.” One student, Maeve, captured the heart of the conversation when she shared, “We learn in different ways.”
By learning from a range of teachers and listening to one another’s perspectives, students saw how IB supports different learners while helping everyone grow. The Vision Board Project builds on that foundation, inviting students to dream, plan intentionally, ask questions, and seek support as they work toward goals that are uniquely their own.
More than an assembly, the experience reminded students that learning is not about having everything figured out. It is about curiosity, effort, and growing together.