Veteran Teachers' Corner: Post #3- The Journey of Curriculum Writing- It All Comes Together

 I've spent the last few blogs sharing different parts of my experience in writing the Reading/ELA curriculum this year. I shared my experience with racing against the clock, integrating old with new information, and gave suggestions for veteran teachers who are in the same position I was. 

Thinking back to my experience, I have grown immensely and I feel excited for continuing to learn about writing curriculum, content for reading, and strengthening my skills in developing curriculum. Although confronted with challenges, this was another rewarding opportunity. 

I learned (like all writers,) the hardest part was getting started. I had the foundational layer from two years ago created, but as I mentioned in previous blogs, it felt like the page was (semi) blank with the changes and updates that the curriculum demanded. My approach was spend more time on Unit 1 to set the stage for the rest of the units. This worked well for me, however, everyone works and writes differently and has to approach curriculum writing according to his or her own work style. I used the first unit as a pathway to put down all my new ideas and hold all the standards, which later served its purpose when I needed to ensure each unit covered certain standards and skills. 

Including a new unit was a creative opportunity for me to channel my knowledge and practice of workshop to start with a clean slate and focus on book clubs. Having recently applied to the Literacy Partners membership, I had a fresh perspective on how to approach organizing the strategies and sequence, and create a booklist for teaching text suggestions. 

What I think the most valuable lesson I learned from this is the power we have to always grow as educators. Teaching is truly lifelong learning. Sometimes its when we read and do our own self-exploration we learn the most. I had to approach curriculum writing independently. I was fortunate to have a colleague that I worked closely with as a thinking partner, however it was at night when the door was closed I had to produce this on my own. I realized that it was my own knowledge that would step up and translate into words. 

It is truly my hope that others recognize and value my work, and that I continue to learn about my craft in writing curriculum. It's through constructive feedback that I'll continue to improve my work and have more to share with others so they too can be successful. 

Final Thoughts: Keep reading, researching, and growing as an educator. Keep networking with others (build your PLN) and brainstorm together. Keep reaching out to other teachers who possibly have experiences writing curriculum, or even if they don't, they could work with you to learn. Keep checking in with others' work to make sure you're on the right track. Finally, keep up your enthusiasm for curriculum writing!