Question to Teachers - Do you prefer to come up with your own curriculum or follow a set curriculum?

[Anonymous]

I keep reading that teachers feel they have to teach to a test and can't teach what they want anymore. Then on another teacher will complain that there's too much for them to do or they aren't given enough material to teach from. What is the ideal amount of freedom a teacher should have on any subject and how much of the curriculum materials should be provided by the school?

[Anonymous]

I taught in private school and came up with my own curriculum - LOVE IT!!!!!

I designed and taught WAY more interesting science topics than what was delivered in the science boxes in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

I like to have a common general sense of things we all need to accomplish (skills and content that we all expect to be covered), but I prefer to pace and develop lessons as I see fit, according to the needs of the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I taught in private school and came up with my own curriculum - LOVE IT!!!!!

I designed and taught WAY more interesting science topics than what was delivered in the science boxes in FCPS.

Were you given materials or did you have to pay for them yourself? Did you have to make copies of paper or did you have office staff or an assistant to help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like to have a common general sense of things we all need to accomplish (skills and content that we all expect to be covered), but I prefer to pace and develop lessons as I see fit, according to the needs of the class.

+1

FCPS teacher. I appreciate our Pacing Guide and resource repository, but I appreciate even more having flexibility to use resources as I see fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like to have a common general sense of things we all need to accomplish (skills and content that we all expect to be covered), but I prefer to pace and develop lessons as I see fit, according to the needs of the class.

+1

FCPS teacher. I appreciate our Pacing Guide and resource repository, but I appreciate even more having flexibility to use resources as I see fit.

Do you feel you are given enough time to create your own lessons?

[Anonymous]

I am an ESOL teacher and there is no set curriculum for ESOL. We used to have a curriculum but they decided not to create an ESOL curriculum when they developed 2.0 so the curriculum we had is obsolete. I teach 4 different grade levels and work with my teammates to develop a curriculum for each of the grade levels I teach. We run a pullout program so we need lessons, activities, books, assessments, etc. It is incredibly time consuming but on the flipside we're able to really hone in on what our students need.

We try to repurpose materials we had from before (i.e. books) but I've been buying the majority of my resources from sites like Teachers Pay Teachers. If I were making resources for just one grade level, I'd do the majority of it on my own but it's just too much for 4 different grade levels. We do create our own assessments, though. I spend way too much money buying resources but I can't give any more of my own time so it's a tradeoff.

I like the freedom this provides with regard to instruction but curriculum development could be a whole separate position. I get one 40 minute collaborative planning session with the teachers who also teach the same grades per week, so most of what we have to do happens after school. We also make all of our own copies and do all of our own filing. We don't get any para support.

It would be nice if there was more time within the school day to do the curriculum writing portion of my job, but it's not going to happen. It would be great if the ESOL office could provide some resources that I could amend for my students, but that hasn't happened either. So, in short, I do like the freedom it provides but it's also very time consuming to write your own curriculum and create your own resources.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an ESOL teacher and there is no set curriculum for ESOL. We used to have a curriculum but they decided not to create an ESOL curriculum when they developed 2.0 so the curriculum we had is obsolete. I teach 4 different grade levels and work with my teammates to develop a curriculum for each of the grade levels I teach. We run a pullout program so we need lessons, activities, books, assessments, etc. It is incredibly time consuming but on the flipside we're able to really hone in on what our students need.

We try to repurpose materials we had from before (i.e. books) but I've been buying the majority of my resources from sites like Teachers Pay Teachers. If I were making resources for just one grade level, I'd do the majority of it on my own but it's just too much for 4 different grade levels. We do create our own assessments, though. I spend way too much money buying resources but I can't give any more of my own time so it's a tradeoff.

I like the freedom this provides with regard to instruction but curriculum development could be a whole separate position. I get one 40 minute collaborative planning session with the teachers who also teach the same grades per week, so most of what we have to do happens after school. We also make all of our own copies and do all of our own filing. We don't get any para support.

It would be nice if there was more time within the school day to do the curriculum writing portion of my job, but it's not going to happen. It would be great if the ESOL office could provide some resources that I could amend for my students, but that hasn't happened either. So, in short, I do like the freedom it provides but it's also very time consuming to write your own curriculum and create your own resources.

This is why I asked the question. It must be so time consuming. It seems like it would be nice for some curriculum to be provided so that as a teacher you could develop some really great lessons on your own, but then also have some other curriculum material to fall back on and be sure you are meeting all of the standards.

[Anonymous]

It is time consuming, but worth the effort. It's usually hard to get interesting and useful (to a particular teacher of class) material. The internet has been a boon to planning. There is so much out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like to have a common general sense of things we all need to accomplish (skills and content that we all expect to be covered), but I prefer to pace and develop lessons as I see fit, according to the needs of the class.

+1

FCPS teacher. I appreciate our Pacing Guide and resource repository, but I appreciate even more having flexibility to use resources as I see fit.

Do you feel you are given enough time to create your own lessons?

During contract hours? Definitely not. There's just too much else going on during the day -- meetings, catching up on emails from colleagues and parents, grading, handling student issues -- for meaningful planning for four different classes to happen. When not planning with my collaborative team during designated time in school, I typically plan in the evenings and on the weekends. I also work on curriculum projects -- both County-sponsored and for my own classes -- for most of the summer. Planning at the pool sure beats planning inside!

[Anonymous]

I am a private school teacher and get to plan my own curriculum. I love it. I got to choose my text book too, which acts like an outline, but I create all of my own support material. I can pace the class as needed and I design my own assessments. The end game is the same though and the students need to test into the next level of the course in high school but I have never had a student not place properly. Btw, I teach a world language.

[Anonymous]

Teaching is much more satisfying when you take all the ingredients and create the meal and serve it up. The guests enjoy it more as well.

Using publisher prepared is like serving processed food; it might fill you up, but it isn't nearly as tasty or memorable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Teaching is much more satisfying when you take all the ingredients and create the meal and serve it up. The guests enjoy it more as well.

Using publisher prepared is like serving processed food; it might fill you up, but it isn't nearly as tasty or memorable.

Doesn't it depend on the resources and time you have to prepare it though? If given 5 minutes to prepare and nothing to work with, I'm guessing you still wouldn't get a tasty meal even if you were in charge. Also, whether you get something off the internet or get something through the school, someone else has usually prepared that sheet other than you.

[Anonymous]

OWN!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a private school teacher and get to plan my own curriculum. I love it. I got to choose my text book too, which acts like an outline, but I create all of my own support material. I can pace the class as needed and I design my own assessments. The end game is the same though and the students need to test into the next level of the course in high school but I have never had a student not place properly. Btw, I teach a world language.

In your case then, you did purchase a textbook for the class probably with the private school funds right? You didn't have to purchase the textbook for all your students on your own dime did you? How much time do you spend having the students use the support material verses the textbook? Would you have felt the same about creating all your own curriculum if you were given no money to purchase anything?