I have been teaching first through third grade for ten years, and my experiences with curriculum development are varied. The first school I worked in was a “teach to the test school.”  The curriculum was made up of the textbooks the school bought for each subject.  There was not much room for creativity, as we were expected to stick to the books.  Our teachers, students, family and community members were not involved much in curricular design.

The second school I taught in (where I now currently still teach) was the exact opposite.  We were given a notebook with some curriculum questions for each subject and a copy of the Maine Learning Results.  We were told that our school’s philosophy is that teachers are professionals, know their students best, and should create the curriculum using these guidelines.  We were asked to make sure to communicate and involve the community, students, and families as much as possible.

It is interesting looking back on these two experiences.  The first school always worried about the state test and the students did not do well on the exams.  The second school never worried about the state test and the students always did very well on the state exams.  The first school was not as exciting nor as challenging to teach in while the second school offered opportunities for collaboration and creativity that challenged and excited me each day as a teacher.

I truly believe that there are several key reasons the second school was so successful in contrast to the first.  Teachers were trusted and treated as professionals.  The creation of curriculum was seen as a combined effort between administration, teachers, the community, and, yes, even the students.  The school valued creativity, had a flexible, broad view of success, and took a whole child approach.  ”The Test” was seen as a necessary part of the game, but not the end all, be all. The curriculum was built around the idea that childhood should be valued, relationships should be nurtured, and the curriculum could be and should be creatively created and adapted to ensure engagement and success for all children.

It is quite a school to work in – the school is the center of the community, and, in my view, it is a great model of success. It is my experience in this school which forms the basis for my doctoral studies in creativity and whole child education. I am very excited about the possibilities for the future!