My Personal Mission

As an educator, there are many things that are part of my mission. The first part of my mission is to provide the students with a safe environment in which they feel comfortable and secure. Also, to create an environment where students can be themselves and be unique without the fear of criticized. Every time I go to work I go with the intentions of helping young adults achieve their very best at every task they may be faced with. I want to help students realize their full potential and become model citizens and responsible adults.

What is Curriculum?

When we talk about curriculum, we are usually referring to the courses being offered in a particular school or department. Curriculum also consists of the particular topics of discussion offered in a particular course. For teachers, curriculum can serve as a pacing and reference tool. It refers to the specifics of a course that the district agrees should be taught in class. When a teacher looks at the curriculum, the teacher is looking at the topics that should be covered in class and the timeline in which it should be done. In many cases, the people who write the curriculum are not the ones who have to use it in the classroom. Teachers should be the ones designing the curriculum and deciding what is best for the students. School administrators should allow teachers the opportunity and time to do so. Administrators who have an extensive background in the classroom should also sit with the teachers and discuss the writing and revising of curriculum. Too often, especially in big school districts, we see people who have absolutely no idea of how a classroom should function telling teachers what to do in their classrooms and how to teach their students. Curriculum is for the students and teachers and therefore should be designed and controlled by the teachers. It should not be controlled by politicians or by other people with personal interests in the central office. Curriculum should not be designed by people who have phantom positions in the central office or in the state department of education. A well written curriculum will ensure that the students and teachers are making the best possible use of the time they spend together. Who is better qualified to design and control the curriculum than teachers and those administrators who are in daily interaction with teachers and students?