Wow. I feel so empowered saying that, but at the same time my hands are sweaty and I’m getting heart palpitations as if I am about to share this post with teachers from around the world. Oh wait. I am? We will move forward and I will get over my own fears of speaking from my heart for the betterment of my fellow teachers!
See that’s me below! I am a sixth year teacher {ohhhh six years…what does SHE know?}. I have taught at the same {awesome} school with an abundance of resources and {fabulous} staff. So, after all that why am I whining about getting to use some expensive curriculum that was purchased for me to use {shouldn’t you just be grateful?} 
Well, I used that fancy curriculum for two years {was it really that long?} I used my nice, fabulous, pretty packaged, OVER abundant {boxes, and boxes, and BOXES} curriculum until I found a teacher miracle site called Teachers Pay Teachers. What was so special about this site? Well, you can tell right from the title, TEACHERS pay TEACHERS. As I searched through the site I came across activity after activity that I knew would be perfect for my class. It eventually came to the point that before I taught my BIG BOX curriculum lesson I would go check and see what Teachers pay Teachers had on that subject….and before I knew it I was relying on this site for TEACHERS more than my curriculum. 
So, the more I used the site the more I fell in love with the idea that TEACHERS are creating and helping other TEACHERS. Basically the site translated to Teachers Collaborating with Teachers…and all administrators like teachers to collaborate right? I fell in love with the site so much that I decided I wanted to create, share, collaborate, and connect with teachers! I opened a shop, started this blog, and went to town! I quickly realized that little ol’ me was able to make a difference for teachers. I would often get emails that said,
“This is exactly what I imagined the perfect reading curriculum would be like. Over the past 13 years, I have tried to tweak district curriculum to make it more fun, more meaningful and more appropriate for kindergarten but I was never as thorough and successful as Tara West has been with these units. After looking through the units I already know that I will be able to use everything, not just bits and pieces, so definitely worth the price!”
I started to realize that I was not the only teacher in this day-to-day struggle with myself… the struggle only teachers get. It sounds about like this….
Every time a teacher reads that quote they chuckle to themselves and probably say, “Uh huh that’s right!” And thinking about that quote…why would a teacher need to “pretend” and be “sneaky” about teaching students meaningful material? Well, remember that fancy BIG BOX curriculum that was purchased for them…well you have to use that! If Rm. 10 is teaching an awesome Teachers pay Teachers lesson and Rm. 15 is teaching the BIG BOX curriculum then what happens? Well, according to the following quote it is actually a GOOD thing to veer from your BIG BOX lesson plan, but after posting this quote on my Little Minds at Work Facebook page I received several comments that said they were not allowed to anything that was not IN the book. 
Well, I feel that sometimes those decisions are made thinking logistically and not with reality in mind. Let’s say you are doctor {this is clearly a make believe and hypothetical story as I am a kindergarten teacher and not medically inclined to tell true medical stories} and a patient comes in very sick. The protocol states you need to run basic tests like X-ray, blood work, etc before advancing the patient to the intensive care unit. Well, you are using your doctor intuition {AKA basic knowledge} and you know right away this patient needs to go to the intensive unit. However, your superiors said NOT to do that unless you followed protocol. I mean that is a little dramatic story in this case because someone’s live is on the line…but it’s no different than we feel as teachers….that our students’ educations are on the line. When we forced to follow protocol {AKA BIG BOX curriculum} we are not doing the kids any favors. What ever happened to balance?
If you are not tied down to a BIG BOX curriculum {woohoo we all just did the disco move for you} then I encourage you to hop over to Teachers pay Teachers and browse the teacher-created resources. There are 1,000’s of awesome resources that range from free to paid. What I love even more about Teachers pay Teachers is the fact that because the resources are created by teachers they can be easily tweaked and even get updated! Let’s see if the BIG BOX writing curriculum will update their writing plans for FREE like Deanna Jump and Deedee Wills are doing. Yeah. I am sure we just answered that. I also wonder if the BIG BOX curriculum companies have feedback like this on their websites… {that was funny}!
“Okay…so I literally have no idea where to begin. I think you may have helped save my guided reading groups, especially those that are still struggling! Thank you so much for all the effort that you placed on this amazing bundle, and for making it affordable and endless. I cannot even describe to you how helpful that is for me. I will also be purchasing the first grade so I can push my advanced kiddos.”
I encourage to head over to Teachers pay Teachers this back to school season and see what your fellow teachers are up to! Oh yeah and here’s to some teacher-made power!
If you are a fan of BIG BOX curriculum programs {oh golly I really hope I dind’t upset anyone…I don’t like when people are upset at me} please know that these are simply my opininos and again I am not in your classroom to see you rocking the heck out of these lessons. Again, I never judge either way…teachers receive enough judgment as it is. Do what is best for YOU and mostly your STUDENTS!
And last but not least…I personally want to thank you for making the dedication to teach. Teaching is NOT easy, but is by far the most REWARDING career there is. I will leave you with this…..
This will be my 25th year in the classroom – 23 in kindergarten ( holy mackerel when did that happen ?). I have seen many , many programs and methods for teaching young children come and go. Tara, for a 6th year teacher you have knowledge beyond your years 🙂 As we begin a new school year ( how many of you never stopped getting ready for your new little ones all summer long ?) your words speak to the best teacher in all of us … thanks for the inspiration and the amazing ideas that every teacher needs !
Thank you so much Maureen for your sweet words! 🙂
Tara
Amen, sister! I love everything about this post. We do not use a reading series at my school and I absolutely L-O-V-E it. It works great for meeting not only the diverse needs in my room (we're talking beyond the typical "below", "on", and "above"), but also their unique interests! There is NO way a big box curriculum does that. I can't stand when teachers look down on others for using TPT materials – wouldn't you want all your teaching "stuff" to come from an actual teacher? I'd much rather put money back into the pocket of a teacher like myself than give it to a big-name company who is not as in-touch with what my students need!
Okay, off my soap box now 🙂 You seem like such a such a fabulous teacher. Can't wait to check out Firstie Literacy!
Paige
Paiges of Learning
Thank you so much Paige! I hope you have a great year! 😀 😀
Tara
Like many others, I have curriculums that I "have to" use. What I have found, however, is that you can pick through these programs and pull out anything valuable (or that can be valuable with a slight modification). Then I supplement with other things. Sometimes the program just needs to be rearranged a bit. Sometimes I can use the program with different manipulatives. Sometimes I find the "extension" activities are better than the minilesson and use those instead. This way, I can show that I am consistently using the prescribed program, but also without compromising my students' needs.
That sounds perfect and proves how adaptable a teacher can be for her kiddos! I love the "extension" activities! Have a great back to school season and new year! 🙂
Tara
Great post! I agree! I like that you noted that the teacher is the only person that knows their kids strengths and weaknesses. But, I think teachers need to be careful with Teachers Pay Teachers. I have seen teachers buy units and just use the whole thing in their classroom (same problem with Box Curriculums). It needs to be personalized for each of their students. A unit that works in your K class probably would not fully work well in my class in Baltimore City. I love TPT and refer to it for some things. But, using it every day, buying a $5 cutesy unit on The Three Little Pigs and not looking to see if it is functional for your classroom, meets the standards, and is personalized for each of your students could spin into an even bigger problem! I will continue to use TPT as a resources but also caution teachers from buying everything and tossing it at their students because it is full of color, cute cliparts, and a fun story!
Thanks for sharing your work! Love your blog! 🙂
Hey Whitney! You bring up a great point and it truly is all about balance…if we only ever ate candy and chocolate we wouldn't be in the best shape either ha! I agree that teachers have to always be cautious in making sure things will work for the kiddos sitting in front of them! True, true! 🙂 Have a great year….I just can't believe it's nearly here again!
Tara
YES, YES, AND MORE YES! Having gone from a school where the expectation was that your manual was open with your eyes glued to it to a school who favors balanced literacy, there is such a noticeable difference in student engagement and learning. When I veered away from our math curriculum (in secret, of course) and focused on a workshop model, my kids did exponentially better than ever before.
Not that I am a proponent of standardized tests or think they show exactly what a kid does/ doesn't know, but our K-1 classes have the highest scores in the building and are the only ones NOT using the network mandated curriculum. Balance and knowledge of students is that important part that you completely hit on the head! Thank you!
Deirdre
Mrs. Garcia's Super Scholars!
We are getting a reading series this year after not having one for many years. I am so disappointed. We have been told that this is your resource and you must use it with fidelity. They even questioned the use of read-alouds not dictated by the series. I will shut my door and do what is best for my kids. After years of hearing others complain that their curriculum is dictated by their district and shaking my head in disbelief, I am now realizing that my district has done just that. Sad.
Great post that I completely agree with in every way!!!!! I am not a fan of Big Box Curriculum (whether reading or math). TPT is an excellent resource. I enjoy learning what my kids need and doing my best to help them learn and grow. I haven't found a Big Box program that teachers all my children and don't think I ever will. Thanks for sharing.
LOVE this post! =)
~Heather aka HoJo~
YES! Completely agree with this! Thank you for telling it like it is!