I used to disparage the “canned curriculum.” I think my attitude was partly due to my first teaching experience at a private school in Southern California. I didn’t have a teaching credential when I was hired. In fact, I was still a year away from “course work” before finishing my bachelor’s degree. Despite this, I was offered a position as a second grade teacher. The school granted me, as well as the rest of the teaching staff, an incredible amount of freedom. We were encouraged to innovate and create engaging lesson plans to meet the learning goals for our particular grade levels. Along with this freedom came two full-time teachers whose only task was to obtain instructional materials from a “mini-warehouse” on the school campus for us.

Three years later I took a teaching job in Oregon. This school worked differently. To achieve their objectives a “canned curriculum” was used. What I mean by “canned” is that the curriculum guide had a very specific plan that told you what to teach and when to teach it every day of the school year. It was timed to the minute and even told the teacher when the students should take a break and use the bathroom. Seriously! I was reluctant to use it and eventually replaced it once I took over as the elementary school principal.

However, not all “canned curricula” are the same. In hindsight, I probably overreacted to the extreme micromanaging nature of what we wear in Oregon. I was guilty of “throwing it all away” when much of the good could have been salvaged.

As I mentioned in a previous article, some of you might be considering breaking away from the state system. If fear of the unknown is holding you back, my suggestion is that you find a good “canned curriculum.” Here are six things a good “canned curriculum” can do for you:

• give you an overview of what will be covered during the year.
• keep you from having to “reinvent the wheel.” They are easy to use because a lot has been thought of for you.
• keep you on track. We all tend to reteach our favorite content, which leads to a lack of balance and gaps in content.
• provide you with structure.
• provide you with step-by-step lesson plans.
• help you keep up with the course, to complete it.

Tired of the mindless micromanagement of many public charter schools and homeschool programs? Is the local charter school getting “too helpful” and too involved? Are you tired of the weekly checks from your friendly academic advisor who is there to make sure you are not using three or five letter words like “God” or “Jesus”?

A “canned curriculum” can be your ticket to freedom. Give it a try!

Thank you for reading!

Curt Bumcrot, MRE

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