Nova Scotia

My experience before coming to Saskatchewan was teaching for 3.5 years for the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board. Until Turtleford it did not dawn on me that I DID NOT deal with curriculum (that is formalized curriculum handed down by the department of education).

This caused me to wonder what was I teaching toward. Without a formalized guide I guess I was just going on the experience of colleagues and what they taught toward, but even this I did very little as we did not have department meetings. So what did I do?

I have to believe that I just taught out of the textbooks that were available to me. I know that during my internship when I taught European history I had a debate on whether or not to teach the Communist Revolution. I argued for it while my mentor insisted as communism failed it was pointless to teach it. This clearly shows to me how an individual teacher adapts the curriculum to them for their benefit. Within Economics I taught with an eye to the textbook and followed it fairly closely. Math I did the same thing. PAL/CLM I wonder how I taught it as there were no resources available for it at all.

So who was I teaching for? Was it the students? Was it for me to make my life easier? I can no longer recall. Though I have had some bad experiences with curriculum out here, I find it essential in assisting me to develop the courses I teach. I do not use it as a crutch, but as a guide post pointing me in directions. I, with students' input, decide whether or not to follow it.