Veteran Teachers' Corner: Post #1- The Journey of Curriculum Writing

 This post truthfully began about a month ago, however, its debut is recent. This is mostly due in part because I had to work through my experience in order to write about it. 

About seven weeks ago I was accepted onto the Curriculum Committee at work. Fortunately, the ELA curriculum was originally created about two years ago, and had a solid foundation for Reading Workshop. One might ponder, why then did it take so long to create this new version? This is exactly what I am aiming to share in a mini-blog series. Mostly for veteran teachers who are considering embarking on their own curriculum writing journey for the first time, or perhaps have to edit others' work, my mini-series will cover what I personally experienced, my thoughts, and strategies to get started (and to get through it!) because it is a huge undertaking to set the tone for your grade/ department, etc. in your district or school. 

In my humble opinion, the first step begins with agreeing to be a team member and elevate your own practice through the writing journey. I can personally attest to the fact that I grew during this time, and I am more confident in my ability to write curriculum more than ever! I will admit that starting with a blank template two years ago with minimal, fresh training will always take first place as challenging. The current time writing brought a whole new set of challenges, again which inspired me to share the experience here.  

I know teachers who are well into their practice feel that their hourglass of resources has, or is slowly running out. It's vital that veteran teacher is open with others who are in similar situations so everyone can benefit. I think as seasoned teachers, we are often so concerned about getting new teachers "surviving" their first year that we often do not take time to reflect on our own projects or learning. 

Having a shared space such as this, I know I will benefit from writing my thoughts, and it is my ultimate goal to give veteran teachers a place to grow and learn. 

So what is something I learned you ask? I learned first and foremost, that I will always have room to learn and grow as a teacher. There were many changes to the curriculum since 2018, and it was my responsibility to know what the changes were, and how they would affect strategies, standards, materials, and much more in the curriculum. So this of course was my first step. Reviewing what I originally wrote, noticing changes that were required, and looking at what I could do better in revising the ELA curriculum. Sometimes taking a few days to simply read everything over, take personal notes, and create a plan is the best way to start. I do recognize that everyone operates differently, but having plan is a definite path to succeed. 

I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts with you on how the journey was for me. For now, here are some final thoughts: Keep challenging yourself for new adventures. Early educators might not be ready for this step, but take the advice here for the future! Keep organized, and re-organize, and again, keep organized! Keep thinking about all the moving parts to the curriculum. Keep employing your professionalism and best practices to get started- always begin with what you know!