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Home / International Curricula / The International Baccalaureate / IB Diploma / Author Kathleen Clare Waller - Learner's Profile

Author Kathleen Clare Waller - Learner's Profile

Author Kathleen Clare Waller - Learner

Find out more about Kathleen Clare Waller, her life in Vienna, her hobbies and passions!

Kathleen is the author of our Language A for the IB Diploma – Concept-based Learning and co-author of English Literature for the IB Diploma.
Reflective / Thinker
I like to say to my students: we are all philosophers with a little ‘p.’
I love thinking about the world – problem solving, considering my ontological views, creating something new.  It’s so important that we hear the perspectives of others to help us evolve in the way we think about ourselves and the world around us. Debates and conversations are so important for learning for this reason, but so too are silent reading, writing, and reflection.  I do my best thinking on a run in the woods where I can process all the wonderful ideas from my environment and my students
Knowledgeable Inquirer
I have always loved being in school and I guess this has led to knowledge in different areas, but I never see knowledge as something that’s fixed.  I guess I think about knowledge a lot like a TOK tea
Two of my most recent student experiences have been completing my PhD in Hong Kong and now doing an online yoga teaching course.  I never know exactly where my studies will lead me, and that’s the best part of the adventure.  I’m bringing my knowledge and inquiry together in a website called Conceptual Literature.
Caring/ Communicator
People think I’m an extroverted and talkative person but I find I do my best
communicating through writing and that I develop my friendships even better through our written correspondences. 
I also love writing fiction to share my ideas and have published a novel called The White Night.
 But maybe what’s most important in communication is listening.  We often forget to really listen to each other.  The world is busy, time is running… I think one of the best ways we can be caring is by listening to others, even when we can’t do anything to help them. 
Balanced & Principled
My principles are very much in sync with the teachings of yoga and those of the Toltec Four Agreements.
These principles include taking care of oneself, trying to enhance the greater good, finding beauty in the world, valuing our environment, and not making assumptions or taking things personally. 
I am still learning about the best ways to manifest my principles. One way to achieve this and be able to help others is through personal balance.  Finding the right amount of exercise, intellectual stimulation, time with friends, time alone, etc. is really helpful and I have experimented with this.
Open-minded
Although I can have fairly strong opinions, I paradoxically take a lot of time seeking out other perspectives and asking questions. 
lthough social media has gotten a bad rap for perpetuating certain ideas or images, I find that Twitter and Instagram are great places for me to find others’ ideas.  Through a simple hashtag, one immediately has access to views or images related to the topic from all over the world and even in different languages.  We can share our ideas by connecting on Twitter - @tournerlesmots or Instagram - @conceptual_literature. 
Risk Taker
I think when we stop trying new things, we really stop living.  Of course, one has to be careful!
But I’ve found that trying new things with my body, like surfing, complement the new ideas I grapple with from books.  I like to keep pushing my mind and body in hobbies I have long enjoyed: skiing, writing, and travelling.