It sounds like the IB did more for you than it did for me then. In the end, my course didn't even count much towards my future haha. But the skills I gained from it are very valuable tools, I'd say, the scrutinisation of what I'm doing, to keep my mind open to various ways of achieving something and so on. The essays were a pain, and I botched mine, which didn't help at all either. I also made a big mistake taking maths physics and chemistry all at higher. That destroyed my brain. My standards were fine, English, Japanese and Geography all weren't too difficult, considering the teachers were great, which I guess is the opposite from your English teacher :/ It did add a lot to my life, and I'm grateful I finished, but I wish it could have had a bigger impact on my working future than it will have. The course I'm on now sort of made it irrelevant.