In order for a school to function and to have guidance it really takes a well set curriculum to guide the teachers into what they are going to teach the students, what pace, and how they are going to improvise or prioritize one lesson over the other. However, having a curriculum is not always easy, it does not always work, and sometimes it takes a while team for one curriculum in any subject to work for just one student. As a future leader, I am aware that there needs to be a philosophy for the way that I want my future kindergarten through fifth grade elementary school to run. I believe that a teachers role in implementing curriculum into the classroom is to always use different strategies, use hands on activities that include appropriate learning materials, encourage student to learn independently and provide strategic interventions as soon as possible if students are needing the extra support.
In order for this to happen, one of the main points and ideas that the philosophy needs to have is the support for all students, including students from different cultures. One way that this can be implemented is to make sure that the school and myself as a leader can provide any learning materials in the languages needed. School curriculums are more advances and usually will come with the options of having the materials in different languages. If though, this is not something that comes with the curriculum and students that are for example ELL and are struggling, the next step is to provide personal support from bilingual para educators. Lastly, to make sure that all students are provided the same learning opportunities, the communication with parents on how the curriculum works needs to also be in the parent’s home language. For example, if a teacher is sending regular updates to parents on the progress of the curriculum in the classroom, those updates should be in all languages that are in the classroom and in the homes. This will bring unity, communication, and a positive learning environment into the school and classroom.
As part of the personal philosophy there needs to be different interventions provided for students that need them. As teachers we know that not all students learn at the same pace, so there needs to be different strategies for all students. One thing that us leaders can do is provide the support for teachers as much as we can. For example, if a teacher wants to do leveled readers in groups, we can help by making sure we have provided the teacher with the leveled readers, the different supplies, and even better we can provide help while the teacher runs those groups. If students still need more help, it is important that the Title/Lap teacher provides that help for the teacher and students. As part of my philosophy, its important to provide that extra support. The Title/Lap teacher can qualify as that extra support for the while classroom. That teacher can not only help the teacher bring more one on one support, but they can also provide different materials for the parents at home to use for their students to help with the interventions. This is also a time where appropriate materials are necessary. This is the job of the school leader, making sure that the teachers have the materials to provide the help for other teachers.
One of those materials can be the technology that is used in the classroom. For example, being able to provide the classroom with Chromebooks or iPad is a great resource so students can use the curriculum extensions online. This is also a great resource for leaders to look at data and know what is working and what is not when targeting curriculum needs and use without having to go into the classroom and interrupt the teacher. Being able to use different technology also helps students with areas that they are struggling in. “. Subjects that students deem challenging or boring can become more interesting with virtual lessons, through a video, or when using a tablet.” (Cox, 2019). This would benefit a lot of students and provide a different type of interventions for the students that are struggling.
Lastly, as a school there is always a different mission and vision that we are following. For a future school that I would like to lead, one point in the mission is to provide students with practice with being for higher education. Providing different technology practice, providing communication with the parents, and providing different opportunities for all students will help all the students learn to eventually meet the goal of higher education. As a leader, there are going to be many struggles to make all the curriculum fit into the classroom, but reminding oneself of the personal philosophy, having open communication, and always putting the students first is a way that that struggle becomes less and less.
Cox, J. (2019, November 7th). Benefits of Technology in the Classroom. Retrieved from TeachHub: https://www.teachhub.com/technology-in-the-classroom/2019/11/benefits-of-technology-in-the-classroom/
Sowell, M. (2019, Febuary). Building Relationships with Students: It Isn’t Just for Teachers. Retrieved from AMLE Education: https://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/1012/Building-Relationships-with-Students-It-Isnt-Just-for-Teachers.aspx