Saturday Sayings: The Best in Us

What's on my mind these days?

I shall make a list.

(Warning:  It's ever so slightly opinionated.)

• I'd like to thank the Common Core for letting me decide how to teach the standards.  (Regie would approve.)
• Becoming familiar with the Common Core takes time and is a bit messy, but it's a given that I should know and understand what's expected of my learners.
• I'm grateful for an administration that believes in my ability to design a Common Core curriculum that best fits the needs of my students, and I'm thankful they give me extra time to make that happen.
• I can't count on a program, a series, or a teacher's manual to fill the gaps.
• Developing curriculum is a lot of work, but it's better than being handed a product that I had no say in making and might not even believe in.  
• Developing curriculum improves my understanding of the standards.
• Developing curriculum requires me to know my students better. 
• Developing curriculum gives me ownership of the teaching and learning in my classroom.
• Developing curriculum makes me more reflective.
• Developing curriculum makes me a better teacher. 

Making the Common Core my very own is not easy.  In fact, it's far from it and sometimes stretches me to my limits, but the process is worthy of my time.  When all is said and done, I believe it should bring out the best in us, not the worst.