EXACTLY!

I had not heard of Alvin Toffler before I read this article. After reading this article I feel validation that I am not crazy but a part of an innovative way of thinking that schools are not doing for students what they should be! I often tiptoe around these radical thoughts for fear that I will be found out and locked away for trying to change what isn't right. Toffler hits almost every idea that I have had while reading about charter schools and other school models. Other countries follow this line of thinking, students begin specialized schooling at a much younger age than the U.S. and it has not ended in catastrophe. If anything the students in these countries are far more advanced in their education. It just makes sense that if we can diversify education to meet the needs of students then they are going to be more successful because they are engaged in their learning. I have a very close friend who made it through school just fine but didn't pursue college further than the first semester because who needs general education requirements if you are trying to pursue a degree in a specific field. It didn't make sense to him that he was paying for courses that he could have been teaching for a certificate of completion. Why was it that he already knew the information, because he researched and self taught the things he wanted to know. He continues to build his knowledge base still through investigation. He is motivated to find out more because he is interested in what he is studying. This makes sense for all students.
I am pursuing my master's not only for further career development but also because I feel that it is so important for me to continue learning. I believe Toffler's point regarding teachers needing to leave the classroom for short periods of time is important. We should not just continue to do things the same way because that's how it has always been done. There is new information and discoveries being made "at 100 miles per hour". Teachers need to be current in their teaching. We need strong people to break the molds of education and develop a new way of educating that will meet the needs of children today.

Curriculum Definition

Well, the definitions of curriculum that I found all stated just about the same thing. Basically curriculum is a set of courses and their content required to complete a particular field of study. This doesn't contradict what I already had in mind but it is pretty vague. I don't think that I would change this definition in anyway but I would want to know how do you define and include intangible concepts like the development of character? Similarly, is there flexibility in changing the curriculum to meet the needs of particular students? My understanding of curriculum, from the perspective of a 2nd grade teacher in a public school system, is that it is the material required to be covered by the end of a given grade level of school.

Regularities

Old habits certainly do die hard and at what cost? I have spent this school year examining my schedule to the point of exhaustion to see where I can make it all fit in a way that is engaging to my students, that is the key. You see, I could manage to create a schedule where I could get in the required lessons, but is that what's best for kids? Now I don't want to be quoted to say that I would like to extend the school day, I know that would result in an uproar, but I am curious when I take a look at the 6 hour day and realize that while we have had a 6 hour day for as far back as I know, a student's day does not look the way it did even when I was in elementary school.

As I said, I have been playing with my daily schedule all year to see where I can "buy" more time. The nightmare of my realization has been that while the day does allow for the students to be at school for 6 hours, there is not 6 hours for me to use. Lunch and recess, necessary things for children take out a 40 minute block (if it is not the middle of January in the state of Maine) and a daily related arts area, another crucial piece to a child's schooling, takes another 30 minutes. So now I am down to 4 hours and 50 minutes without allowing for transition time or breaks to effectively teach 1 hour of math, 1 hour of writing, 1.5 hours for literacy and at least 45 minutes for science or social studies. It won't take any of you long to figure out that really I should have exactly enough time to get in what I need to do for the day, and you would be right, if I left out any explorations and experiences that might make the learning meaningful for kids and of course the 30 to 40 minutes worth of transition times (January in Maine) that happen everyday. And there is definitely no time for crisis.

Students are supposed to go home at the end of each day having participated in all areas of the curriculum, at their appropriate level of instruction, in a style that meets their personal learning needs.

I believe it is far past time to look at why we still do things the same as we always have. Taking on the principal for the day notion, is there a way to create a curriculum that is truly cross- curricular so that students are not "dabbling in this" and then "dabbling in that"? I know block schedules are a start and I am hopeful that my own school will be looking at that very soon, but where else can we start to make more sense of the school day so that school can be a place for students to learn and grow not only in their academics but also in their development as a person as well.