I always just wanted to be ‘normal’, to be like the others around me. Then I kind of grew up and said, “I’ll do as I darn well please” (stolen adjusted quote from my Father as his Alzheimer’s set in). We have a similar cause with differences required for implementation because of our audience, elementary, professor, lecturer, and high school teacher.
I think I have found something in my life that I am truly good at—finally. I’m going to take advantage of my captive audience, and do something extremely out of character for me. I’m actually a rather private person when it comes to me, but very public with promotion of my 3S curriculum wisdom paradigm. Unknowingly, this is how I have been teaching, the only way I have ever taught. Also, I may never see many of you again anyway so I won’t become embarrassed past today.
I credit my success to do this to not growing up in the education world. What hurt me in the educational arena is my lack of ‘speaking the language’ of education. What has helped me in the classroom is my lack of ‘speaking the language’ of education. This is not meant to be a put down of the system, but for me it has been an opportunity not to be held back or restricted by its agenda.
I also heard you should always pick a job you would like to do, even if you didn’t get paid. So, I did, and I don’t. (I became a teacher and don’t get paid).
I teach kids to be ready to go out into the world. I feel a deep responsibility to others to help prepare them for their beginning journey in life; therefore comes my passion. Nothing means more to me than helping others.
I take my profession very seriously, along with guiding the students through this curriculum wisdom paradigm. What I do and how I do it stems from family. The greatest experience I have ever had is being a father. It has been such a wonderful trip for me that I want to help other children benefit from it. So serious is this to me that I begin with a humorous, albeit true, story.
Today I discuss the great successes and personal satisfaction of teaching the curriculum wisdom paradigm of 3S.
“While we say we place emphasis in education today on individual learning, growing, and success any common goal or belief that can be built upon undermines this education system we have in place. We are only creating a constructivist system in a standardized environment at best.” (RAP 5/06)
Woods Technology is an elective, which provides a unique position of having future standards, but great flexibility at present to develop a class visibly working under the 3S curriculum wisdom paradigm. A transformative curriculum leadership plan in this class could look like this. The plan would be “to improve my high school students’ technology knowledge in a fully inclusive classroom through differentiated instruction working within the parameters of machine safety requirements while providing opportunity for self understanding of their wood working abilities and reflection of their individual and group social responsibility of these learned skills.”
The goals would include: 1) the individual student’s ability to safely operate woodworking equipment and understand their operation, 2) to learn the other operations they can perform with these tools through inquiry and analysis and 3) to relate their insights and abilities usefulness in helping others in their community.
The solution to this opportunity is to develop a detailed plan of instruction through 1) text and lecture, 2) paper exams, 3) instructor and student demonstrations, 4) construction of an individual project, 5) construction of a group project, 6) student evaluation forms, 7) self-social awareness evaluation form, 
and student observation form.
“You have an increased social responsibility directly proportional to increases in your learning or financial wealth. As you grow, you share.” (RAP 6/06)
The support group involves a large number of individuals. The strongest group is support from my family to be allowed to follow my heart. The next is my students, unknowingly perhaps. In addition, there are the principal because of his interest as former director of curriculum, the assistant principal being a former industrial arts teacher and great supporter of any activity I pursue, and the vocational metals instructor with his similarity in students and subject matter. The special needs students’ teachers for cooperative projects and a history and math teacher because of their positive attitude and open-mindedness to change. This group has been chosen for their support and ability to disagree professionally, without malice and their ability to address current standards for revision. Community business contacts and political heads will be chosen to participate.
The proposed audience for this course of study would be 13 to 19 year old woods technology I, II, III, and IV students (from high level to IEP range), special needs students, and an open project with the school community.
The challenges of conceptualized standards take the class from strictly and build a project with tools class to a class of understanding equipment operation, knowing why you can do what you are doing and using the newly learned skills to better your life and those around you. The class moves from a ‘loser’ class to a ‘leader’ class. While learning a working knowledge of the subject, the student builds a project, builds self-esteem and self-worth through multiple individual and group successes. The student learns to build a higher-level project. The student will also learn empathy toward others in woodworking and other classes by seeing what people go through to learn their skill or trade. Students will recognize learned skills that can be used to help their larger community through these coop classroom projects (food drive, Lion’s club clubhouse, Minwax award, special needs projects, etc.).
Lessons are created to promote student inquiry while reflecting in an environment that allows students to 1) ask why? And what? Projects are suitable for special needs students, 2) community projects, 3) cooperative/teamwork efforts required and time for 4) individual reflection and student inquiry.
Evaluation of our standards will include a student observation form, an evaluation form for their individual project and a self-social form for review of their inquiry/reflection growth and community awareness understanding. Information will be gathered here for human/moral discussion projects in class. Null curricula will be introduced such as asking, “Do these people deserve help?”; “Have you earned what you get?” and so forth for personal and class inquiry.
Organizing the curricula will include an introduction of the process by the teacher to set the stage for the curriculum wisdom plan. (Respect, you, me) Life stories, currere narratives, teachable moments will be used. There will be great effort taken to build trust, open communication, and develop listening skills. Wiggle room will be taken advantage of to insert the new curriculum whenever possible. The class will be taken from loser subject to one of great interest, excitement, and respect.
Updates will be on going with the core team to keep interest up and momentum going. The teacher will ask observers to visit the class on occasion to review techniques possibly missed by the instructor. The teacher will ask for feedback from the support staff, community (business, political) and students. The main area of discussion will surround the ideas of the need for lifelong learning, for a good job, for a good life, for a good world.
