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

[Anonymous]

PP wrote:

"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."

TpT is fabulous. I buy things there too and I also sell some of my stuff (which helps me buy more). The best stuff I have ever gotten is from Teachers Pay Teachers. I'm convinced that the bigger the company that makes the product, the less useful it really is. Teachers are like start up companies---the incubators for great materials.

[Anonymous]

I'm an intermediate teacher in PG County. All of our lesson plans are scripted. There is much more in each day's plan than is physically possible to do and we aren't supposed to deviate from the plans. I hate it because I work in a high ESOL school and there are a lot of gaps in knowledge but I'm told to keep pressing forward without the ability to go back and re-teach because I need to keep up with the pacing guide!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm an intermediate teacher in PG County. All of our lesson plans are scripted. There is much more in each day's plan than is physically possible to do and we aren't supposed to deviate from the plans. I hate it because I work in a high ESOL school and there are a lot of gaps in knowledge but I'm told to keep pressing forward without the ability to go back and re-teach because I need to keep up with the pacing guide!

It sounds like your problem is more with the pacing guide / no child left behind than the curriculum materials. Or are the curriculum materials given not good enough?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP wrote:


"So then why do teachers complain they have too much to do? They reject other curriculum materials that are well thought out just so they can recreate the wheel every day. No one is judging you by the materials you hand out to your class. They are judging you by how well you teach the children and what the children learn."



The curriculum materials are not all well thought out or they just don't work with the teacher's style or the makeup of the students.

And if you are judged on how well you teach and what the students learn, you have to have materials that work for you. You cannot divorce these things from each other. Teaching is a process where the pieces have to fit together. Teachers also consult with each other and share their materials to help each other. Many of the best ideas are hatched while talking to other teachers and many teachers work together to germinate their ideas. This can really be exciting for the teacher.

I totally agree. Have you seen the "science units" FCPS developed. YAWN and B>O>R>N>I>N>G!!!!

[Anonymous]

The problem is that the curriculum writers are often sitting in offices and not in classrooms. It's like writing recipes without having a test kitchen to try them out in. The food might be edible, but it doesn't taste great and will not be very memorable.

It amazes me what kids remember years later from the classroom. I have had kids come back and say, geez it was so great when you cooked vegetable soup and had us measuring or it was so great when we went over to the polling station, etc. They never say it was so great to do the worksheet or take the test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OWN!

?

Well that was very succinct answer to the question in the thread title.

So then why do teachers complain they have too much to do? They reject other curriculum materials that are well thought out just so they can recreate the wheel every day. No one is judging you by the materials you hand out to your class. They are judging you by how well you teach the children and what the children learn.

Because we do. Our department (elementary) calculated how many hours per week (not including teaching itself) we spend on work-related tasks and came up with an extra 20 hours per week. Meanwhile, our prep time is being taken away/reduced.

The issue with curriculum is its often all or the nothing. Either we are given next to nothing (difficult) or we are given a curriculum and told to follow it word for word regardless of student interest or needs (also difficult). My school has a math curriculum and language arts curriculum but it's not enough. I do follow the math curriculum but I add my own materials/games/practice work and additional instruction to what is already there. Our language arts curriculum is not appropriate for the group of students that I have for literacy this year - I had to fight to get waived from using it so I can do what my students need instead of what the school wants me to use. Our language arts block is also not long enough to fully cover everything that the curriculum wants us to cover.

We do not have a science/SS curriculum. I follow the standards and create/find materials. That has pros and cons - finding and creating materials is time consuming and the standards are not easy to apply (too vague). I'm constantly going to the library, looking for materials online, creating materials, etc. It's time consuming and exhausting. I try to structure SS/science like another literacy block with vocabulary, non fiction books, writing activities, etc.

I would rather be given access to standards/materials and be allowed to teach how I see fit then given a set curriculum and be expected to follow it word for word.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OWN!

?

Well that was very succinct answer to the question in the thread title.

So then why do teachers complain they have too much to do? They reject other curriculum materials that are well thought out just so they can recreate the wheel every day. No one is judging you by the materials you hand out to your class. They are judging you by how well you teach the children and what the children learn.

Because we do. Our department (elementary) calculated how many hours per week (not including teaching itself) we spend on work-related tasks and came up with an extra 20 hours per week. Meanwhile, our prep time is being taken away/reduced.

The issue with curriculum is its often all or the nothing. Either we are given next to nothing (difficult) or we are given a curriculum and told to follow it word for word regardless of student interest or needs (also difficult). My school has a math curriculum and language arts curriculum but it's not enough. I do follow the math curriculum but I add my own materials/games/practice work and additional instruction to what is already there. Our language arts curriculum is not appropriate for the group of students that I have for literacy this year - I had to fight to get waived from using it so I can do what my students need instead of what the school wants me to use. Our language arts block is also not long enough to fully cover everything that the curriculum wants us to cover.

We do not have a science/SS curriculum. I follow the standards and create/find materials. That has pros and cons - finding and creating materials is time consuming and the standards are not easy to apply (too vague). I'm constantly going to the library, looking for materials online, creating materials, etc. It's time consuming and exhausting. I try to structure SS/science like another literacy block with vocabulary, non fiction books, writing activities, etc.

I would rather be given access to standards/materials and be allowed to teach how I see fit then given a set curriculum and be expected to follow it word for word.

Agree. This is ideal to be given materials with the choice whether to use them or not at times. I don't understand the teachers who want nothing. I do understand they want some freedom. In FCPS are you required to follow the math curriculum and science curriculum word for word? Or are you given these materials and allowed to supplement how you see fit as long as you teach the standards? We are in FCPS and there appears to be no language arts curriculum beyond spelling and vocabulary, so I'm not sure what's supplied by FCPS there. Completely agree that language arts isn't long enough to cover everything in the pacing guide. But for some reason the teachers we've seen provide practice on math during morning work or set time rather than language arts. I've wondered if it's just easier for them to say go to the computer and practice some math facts or give out a sheet of morning work with some math review than it is to come up with language arts materials.

While I believe students would remember cooking over doing a worksheet summary of a book, I don't believe that they forget the lesson of the worksheet. To me, an ideal school week has one or two hands on projects each week along with many other worksheets to cover the rest of the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

I would rather be given access to standards/materials and be allowed to teach how I see fit than given a set curriculum and be expected to follow it word for word.

This is it in a nutshell. The curriculum should be provided, but it should have breadth and allow for multiple approaches so that it gives some choices. Often this is not the case and that is why many teachers make their own curriculum. It's not necessarily that they want to make it; it's that they don't feel what is being provided is meeting their needs. They have a lot of "ahas" while they are teaching ("oh, I should be doing it this way or that way to get the students to understand"). Then they create based off those interactions with the students. It's hard to know what is going to be a challenge for students until you are actually working with them and have your hands in the mix. The people who develop the curriculum are often not the ones who are in the classroom. I submit that the best materials are teacher made. I swear by Teachers Pay Teachers. That website has truly saved me so many times. The best stuff is there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
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.

Also, you aren't reinventing the wheel every year with every class. You might add a new lesson or two, tweak some things, drop a project that just doesn't work anymore.

Once you get a collection of lessons it really makes the planning and prep much easier.

[Anonymous]

Teacher here, and I MUCH prefer to come up with my own. It doesn't mean that I do it completely solo--I use resources like TPT, forums, peers, even Pinterest for ideas. And it does take years to build. For example one year I might spend months over the summer to come up with 10 discrete lessons in my dinosaur unit that all incorporate some aspect of math, literacy, science, social studies. The next year I might add 2-3 and revamp a couple others. It's a lot of work, but it is WAY more fun for students and teachers.
Of course I can get away with it because I am early ed (Pre-K) and we still get a little bit of freedom because our kids don't get have to take completely pointless soul sucking tests that are part of what's ruining public education.

I also work some with a friend who teaches MS. We are both learning together about project based learning, which I really think might be The Next Big Thing in education. It makes total sense! http://bie.org/object/tools/project_search is a great place to look for cool projects. And Cabot school in VT does amazing stuff: http://www.washnesu.org/cabot/cabot-school-projects-and-exhibitions/

[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.

+1

[Anonymous]

I teach ESOL and out district does have a curriculum and textbooks but they are outdated. I teach multiple grade levels and proficiency levels so from year to year, I have to adjust the curriculum to my students' needs. Last year, I focused on finding more interesting and challenging activities and resources for my kindergarten groups. I used TPT and other websites. I spent tons of my own money, even more than I usually do (appr. $500/yr for the last few years). This year, my principal decided to give kindergarten ESOL to another teacher even though we talked about the fact that I spent so much time and effort fleshing out the lacking kindergarten curriculum. Sigh. To answer the question, I like having a base curriculum but it is usually bare bones. I'd love the time and money to flesh it out but it's not going to happen. I spent a lot of weekends online and printing out and laminating/cutting out materials. It is exhausting and frustrating sometimes.

[Anonymous]

MS math teacher here. I am so so so grateful for the FCPS pacing guide that organizes the standards into a logical sequence, breaks them down into more specifics, and gives suggested time allotments. That document is my bible during the school year.

The textbook though? Junk. Completely a waste of money. I've stopped even handing them out because I never once used it. Sad waste of money That said, I'm not opposed to it existing--some teachers rely heavily on it, so I'd be scared to see what went on in their classroom if they didn't have it.

I agree that it takes a few years to have solid materials. That's the value of CTs/PLCs/teams though. I was SO grateful to join a team of experienced teachers my first year who had a plethora of strong resources from their past teaching years. Together during planning we revamp or replace what was already there, but rarely are we starting from scratch completely.

[Anonymous]

Own