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Two Different Worlds One Common Aim:

A Conversation About Curriculum

By Mark Ellner
Dr. Kim
EDCI 803 Curriculum Development
Spring 2014

Interviewer: Mark Ellner
Mark is a Masters student in Educational Technology with plans to pursue a PhD in
Curriculum and Instruction. Mark taught for 10 years as an elementary PE teacher and
coach of many sports. His last 7 years of teaching were at Ware Elementary on Fort
Riley, Kansas. His first 3 years of teaching were with the Omaha Public Schools in
Nebraska. Mark received his B.S. in Education from the University of Kansas in 1997.



Interviewee 1: Dr. Beth Hudson
Dr. Hudson is an Associate Superintendent in Teaching and Learning at Geary County
School District, in Junction City and Fort Riley, Kansas. She has a BS, MS and EdD
from KSU, as well as holding a K-12 Administration and District Leadership
Certification. Dr. Hudson taught elementary for 8 years and was then an administrative
assistant for four years. She then went to the district office as Director of Elementary
Education for 17 years. This is her first year as the Associate Superintendent.



Interviewee 2: Jared Bixby
Jared has been the Curator of Education at Sunset Zoo since December 2008, and has
over 15 years of experience in the conservation and environmental education field. Over
this time, Jared has delivered numerous informal education programs to children of all
ages, as well as developed the programs content. Jared has been in the management role
as a Curator of Education in zoos across Kansas since 2001. Jareds undergraduate
degree was in Wildlife Science and he has a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.












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Abstract
One thing that I find most encouraging is that at the heart of all education, what most
people want is what is best for the child. What gets in the way often is how we get to
point where we are actually producing what is best for the child. This paper talks with
two curriculum experts, who both believe in students interests and learning
individualities, but operate from very different platforms. One is the Curator of
Education for Sunset Zoo, in an informal educational setting, while the other is an
Assistant Superintendent of Geary County Schools, at a traditional educational setting.
This paper will explore how both of these experts find themselves doing what they
believe is best for the child, but in very different ways. It will also look at current and
past curriculum theories and philosophies and how they fit into todays educational
settings, which include common standards and high stakes testing.












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Introduction
The child is the starting point, the center, and the end. His development, his growth,
is the ideal. It alone furnishes the standard (Dewey, 1902, p. 107). This quote from
John Dewey epitomizes my values and sits at the core of my educational philosophy.
How we get to the point where this quote is not only a part of someones belief system,
but an actuality in our schools, drives my thirst for learning and exploration. Tyler (1949)
believes that children want to play and explore and just see what happens. Both the
specialists interviewed stated that their ideal schools would be project based as to allow
students to try new things that are relevant to their needs. This allows for a more
individually focused curriculum with activities specifically tailored towards student need.
When the focal point is on the individual we realize that though we need to teach with
equity, there needs to be an understanding that the same curriculum cannot be equally
appropriate for all individuals (Marsh, Willis, 2007, p.28).
In order to enact a curriculum focused on the individual, its critical for the educator to
be all in at every level of curriculum and lesson design, along with a clear
understanding of their students interests and needs as to give children the best
opportunity for success in their learning experience. Tyler contends that the experience
can be tailored to meet the desired outcomes by taking into account individualities among
students.
"The teacher can provide an educational experience through setting up an
environment and structuring the situation so as to stimulate the desired
type of reaction. This means that the teacher must have some
understanding of the kinds of interests and background the students have
so that he can make some prediction as to the likelihood that a given
situation will bring about a reaction from the student; and, furthermore,
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will bring about the kind of reaction which is essential to the learning
desired (Tyler, 1949, p. 64).

To provide equality of quality in education for all our children requires that we
start with equal respect for their talents and aspirations and that we help them to choose
wisely within the domain of their interests (Noddings, 2013, p. 194). This quote has
stuck with me all semester and been very meaningful while reviewing our readings.
Noddings challenges us that it is not enough to just lump students together based on age
and what we think is developmentally correct. Its critical to look at each student as an
individual and to embrace their needs and wants. This should be the starting point of
curriculum, not an afterthought. Along with Noddings, Dewey stresses the importance
of student interests in developing curriculum. What are we to do with this interest are
we to ignore it, or just excite and draw it out? Or shall we get hold of it and direct it to
something ahead, something better (Dewey, 1915/ 2011, p. 32)? Children always want
to explore and learn new things. By being student centered the educator makes each
learning experience meaningful to the individual needs and desires of every student.
My contention as an educator and a life long learner is that now is the time to put
away the fears of the past and to stop the cycle of falling back to what we know. As
history has shown us, many educators do want change to a more progressivism
philosophy of teaching. Unfortunately many distinct events have stifled change and
consistently brought us back to where we started, which often is a subject centered and
standardized testing focus. The 3 events I find most interesting and critical to where
education currently stands are the launching of Sputnik in 1957, the Nation at Risk report
of 1983, and the No Child Left Behind legislation in 2002. Each of these events resulted
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in a step back from progressivism and reverted towards perennialism, which focuses on
the traditional explicit type of teaching. NCLB has left a large dent in education where
teachers were forced to teach to the test. There are diminishing opportunities for
teachers actually to make decisions about curriculum and instruction (Marsh, Willis,
2007, p. 64).
Throughout the interviews with the 2 specialists, I was encouraged and inspired by
their beliefs. While they may have different ways of getting there, they both have a
strong belief that the individual needs of students must constantly be addressed. They
believe that educational experiences need to be relevant to the student and are best
produced through project-based lessons that allow for critical thinking and exploration.
Their impact on students lives on a large scale, should provide us all with hope and
comfort that there is a chance to make the changes and improvements that many have
thought impossible. This paper looks at their desires to create and provide true learning
experiences.
This paper will focus on 2 curriculum specialists from very different educational
settings, who believe that the child is the center focus of education. Through 2 separate
interviews with the specialists, I looked to find what drove them and what their beliefs
are about the current landscape of education. My purpose was to answer 2 major
questions. The first questions is, what philosophies drive informal and formal
educational curriculum? The second questions is, how do 2 curriculum specialists, who
both believe in child-centered education, get their settings to the same aim? For this
paper, I focused on 5 areas that were important to me to improve my curriculum
knowledge and to find the answers to my questions. The 5 areas are Educational
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Philosophy, Informal vs. Formal Education, Role of the Individual, Curriculum Reform,
and what their Ideal School would look like. The most interesting part of this paper
though is not that they both have common educational philosophies and ideas, its how
they get their students education to match those philosophies. This paper will argue that,
the individual and their needs must be at the front all of curriculum and educational
decisions.
Conversation Description
My first interview was with Jared Bixby, the Curator of Education at Sunset Zoo
and Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, Kansas. Jared works in an informal
educational setting. He coordinates many levels of educational experiences through his
work. Since I am actively involved with zoo and have known Jared more from the zoo
setting, most of our conversation focused on his role at Sunset Zoo. At the zoo he
develops day long to week long to summer long programs, as well as, short 45 minute
presentations to schools and community groups. This year the zoo began a preschool
program call Zoo Sprouts. Jared is the program coordinator. The main goal of the
program is to produce attitude and behavior that lead towards a great respect for the Earth
and the conservation of its resources. Jared and I met at Sunset Zoo and had an amazing
conversation where I asked questions about his philosophy, informal versus informal
education, the role of children in the curriculum, reform, and accountability. His answers
were more than I could have expected in terms of thoughtfulness and information.
Dr. Beth Hudson was my second interview. Dr. Hudson is an Associate
Superintendent at Geary County School in Junction City and Fort Riley, Kansas. This is
her first year as an Associate Superintendent, but she has been at the district
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administrative level for over 17 years. Previous to that Dr. Hudson was an elementary
school teacher for and administrative assistant at the school level. I conducted an e-mail
interview with Dr. Hudson. While this was not my preferred method, I was impressed
with the depth and meaning that she responded to my questions. We corresponded back
and forth many times throughout the interview process. Dr. Hudson has a terrific quote
on her e-mails from John Dewey that I loved and discussed with her. What the best and
wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all its children.
Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon it destroys our
democracy." She believes that this quote helps frame our thinking about what we do for
all kids. This quote inspires to not settle and to always believe that our children must be
given the best opportunities to succeed no matter what their strengths, weaknesses, or
interests are.
Findings
The title of this paper, Two Different World One Common Aim: A Conversation
About Curriculum, is a perfect fit for my focus while interviewing the curriculum
specialist. I was fascinated by the ways in which each specialist, working in very
different settings, got to the same aim in terms of child centered curriculum. Based on
previous conversations and dealings with both subjects, I did go into the interviews
feeling confident both had positive views of student centered education. I was interested
to find out what student centered curriculum meant to them and how they make it work in
their current educational settings. The main question I had, was how do 2 people from
very different educational settings, one formal education and one informal education, get
to the same point of focus if in fact there were the same or similar aims.
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Educational Philosophies
To get a deeper look into their beliefs it was important for me to get an understanding of
their philosophies. Both Hudson and Bixby went right to the mission of their
organization to explain their philosophies. Hudson stated,
The educational motto for our district is Learning for AllWhatever it
Takes. I think this statement would be at the heart of the decisions that
we make since we adopted it as a district philosophy. For me, it says that
we (adults) take responsibility for the learning of students. While some
think that having told students equates to learning, my belief is that
students must actually learn and teachers must have evidence of their
learning. We must look at materials that support this philosophy in light
of questions like: does the program differentiate for the levels of learners?
Does the program offer a Spanish version? Do students have a variety of
ways to show their learning? This philosophy would be the driving force
for me.

Bixby not only mentioned his individual institution, Sunset Zoos mission, but also used
the national zoo accreditation association, The Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(AZA) when discussing his philosophy.
A lot of it comes from my education background at Emporia State. They
focused a lot on Benjamin Bloom and Blooms Taxonomy and Madeline
Hunter. On the informal side of things we look at the Best Practices like
the North American Association for Environmental Education, they have
best practices developed for developing educational programs. A lot of it
stems towards the mission statement of the institution, thats the driving
force. The mission statement is to Inspire in Conservation of the Natural
World. We are looking at overhauling the curriculum. WE use AZA
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conservation messages that we try to meld together while also looking at
state standards. We have strayed a little over the years and went towards
state standards to work with teachers and develop programing. We have
gone away from focusing on our own program. We are working to get
back to that. We have been really structured in the past but want to go
more towards this. We currently have timed presentation programs that
are structured. We are going to go more towards what Shed aquarium is
doing. At the FHD center we tried to go to this. In the informal setting it
is easy to get pulled in lots of directions. You open yourself up to doing a
program based on what people need or wanting. We went more towards a
standard curriculum that ties into the mission of the institution.

Both Bixby and Hudson focused their philosophies on their mission statements. Its
clear that a firm belief and dedication to a persons mission statement is crucial to
effective curriculum development. They also showed similarities in their philosophy that
education must be actually learned and not just presented students. Its not always easy
to get all teachers to buy into this or to keep yourself from falling back to a perennialism
style of education. It takes effort and commitment to the mission and ones belief of
what a true learning experience is.
Informal Education and Its Impact on Learning
The role of informal education in our childrens lives can be very impactful. I was
glad to find that both subjects believe in using all resources possible to educate the whole
child. Hudson stated, I think the more community resources that can be integrated into
the formal of education of children, the better! Children need and love the real life
examples and resources that the community offers. I think the more partnerships that can
be formed between school and community, the better! Bixby as an informal educator
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knows the relationship with formal educators is vital, and believes that he has some
advantages to educate from his position.
We strive to stay with the principles of interpretation where we reach the
whole child and the whole person and really trying to make everything
meaningful. Depending on the age level our early childhood its right
here right now concrete stuff. Its there natural surroundings and thats
there focus. As we get older we focus on the big global conservation type
stuff. One thing that sets us apart from a school when it comes to
curriculum is that people that come to us already have a vested interest in
the subject matter. They are interested in the zoo or discovery center.
Animals or rocks or plants or history fascinates them. There is a natural
connection thats what really is a big factor between formal and non-
formal education. Formal education has set curriculum and its taught to
everyone. Our curriculum is very fluid, we can adapt but it also our
audience is completely different. Even when you bring a school group in
they are engaged for many reasons so you get them at a different level
than you do in a classroom. From the curriculum standpoint we are very
fluid and can change and adapt easier. As opposed to a big district that
has 8 or 9 elementary schools, we have one facility and our staff that we
can make changes quickly. Plus what we teach and what we do thats not
mandated on an administrative level.

I was definitely impressed with both specialists views on the importance of informal
education and the need to use all resources presented by the community. Hudson wants
to bring in as many as possible and sees it only as a positive. Bixby is part of informal
education and would like to see it used at all levels. Its important to understand that
students can reach a deeper learning through informal education. They have a vested
interest in what is happening and they are in a situation that is willing to adapt quickly to
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their needs and interests. My belief is that community resources must be heavily looked
at while developing a formal educational curriculum.
Importance of Individual Student Needs in Developing Curriculum
My next inquiry to the subjects was about the role of the child and the importance of
addressing their personal needs. Hudson believes that their school works hard to meets
the individualities of children.
I feel like there are certainly many programs available that do meet the
needs of all children. Publishers have aligned themselves with authors and
researchers who understand the needs of children and work to assure that
their materials are at the levels needed. As indicated above in the needs
above, the current materials do offer the levels needed for students ranging
from the lowest levels to the highest levels of achievement. Additionally,
the materials differentiate so that students can be in the appropriate group.
Materials are almost always available in Spanish and the can be provided
in audio forms as well. Publishers must keep pace with the current
programs in order to maintain sales. Having said that, publishers are NOT
in alignment yet with the College and Career Ready Standards. Some
jumped on the bandwagon immediately and claimed that they were ready
for materials matching these standards but these were suspect because the
standards required major changes. That could not have happened in the
time frame in which the new standards based materials appeared on the
market.
Bixby has the ability to be more fluid and free of textbooks in his programs, but still has
a challenge when trying to meet individual needs depending on the type of program he is
presenting.
We try to walk a balancing act and it depends on the type of program we
run. We have daylong camps, we have weeklong camps, and year long
pre- school programs. It really varies. The shorter the time with the kids
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its more us directed, and they participate. We want to get away from us
standing up and doing the presentation and then showing an animal. We
do realize that there is always a demand for that when working with some
teachers, or school assemblies. Its usually us directed but with the
investigation piece, the kids will get more of a say in how and what they
learn. We have been working on a long-term curriculum for the preschool
but one of the pushbacks from the teachers is that they dont want to be set
and handcuffed. When they are walking around the zoo and the kids see
something and they think its awesome they dont want to be stuck in a
specific curriculum. Its very fluid and loose for the preschool because
its all about their curiosity and getting out in their nature surroundings. It
has to be flexible and be able to change. We want to be more students
centered. Our summer programs used to be very planned out, and it
wasnt working. We found a happy medium where we program and
structure out the morning to the theme or topic of the week. Then the
afternoon the instructors give the kids choices. Most of the time its going
into the outdoor play area and playing in the natural environment.

This section was very interesting to me. The specialists responses were similar in
that the students individualities must be taken into account when developing curriculum.
They differed though on how they got there. Hudson believes that there are already tools
in place to accommodate students needs. Publishers develop them, and the schools
allow for language differences. Her main concern is that they are behind in aligning with
the current Common Core Curriculum. Bixby comes from a point of view that while he
would like everything to be child centered, its not always possible based on the program
they present. He does though believe that by adding an investigative piece to each
program they are able to find a blend that works for all students. I feel that both
specialists are on the right track, but what has been displayed to me through the
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interviews, is that we are still far from being were we need to be in terms of teaching to
the individualities of children.
The Need for School Reform
My next question brought about the biggest difference in the 2 specialists. I asked
about the need for school reform. While Bixby believes reform is needed and still a ways
away, Hudson see positive reform happening right now with the Common Core
Standards. Hudson stated,
I think there is a need for reform in todays curriculum and the biggest
curriculum change needed at the district and school level is here. It is
called the Kansas College Career Ready Standards (Common Core
Standards). For those that have taken the time to review the standards by
grade level and by subject as we have, it has mean huge reform. It isnt
just reform related to the materialsit means teachers teaching
differently. We spent time in our own district aligning our assessments to
the new standards and the assessments had to change even in the way that
we gave them. Students have to be able to show their understanding.
Teachers have to rethink how to teach it at the deepest levels
(conceptually). Our teachers dont even know how to teach some of the
concepts because the standards are pushed down to grade levels where
the teachers are not used to teaching the concepts (eg. third grade
fractions). The assessments at the state level will also dramatically
change and that will also bring about changes in curriculum and changes
in teaching. This is the biggest reform experienced in my years of
education and it should have an enormous impact on education.
Bixby has seen the beginnings of reform through his work at the state level with the Next
Generation of Science Standards.
I have been involved with the Next Generation of Science Standards and
what the Department of Education is doing with that and I really like the
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route they are going and they are pushing this collaborative effort. You
can see its more important to be a community effort to educate not just
the schools job. The state department is pushing that the next generation
science standards cannot be accomplished within the walls of the
classroom. It has to go bigger than that. Its got be partnered with the
businesses, the informal education, the parents. It has to be community.
This is a huge change for schools. For example we are starting to do this
with USD 383. Curriculum people at school district are leading this and
thats great. The door in the past has been closed, and has been for many
years. They have always done things within themselves and have not
wanted to partner with informal education or things outside of there
walls. It is really detrimental I think. So they are now looking at how
they can partner out. One district administrator commented to me that the
district drives the curriculum and I think the belief is, since we drive
the curriculum we may not partner with you because you may want to
backdoor and drive the curriculum. Having input on how it is taught and
how the kids learn is better with a wider community involvement. Yes
curriculum needs to be made more adaptable and not some huge
institution that takes years and years of research to finally convince
enough people to create change.

This would be considered my most interesting section from the specialists. Both seem
to follow their beliefs within the framework of their settings. Hudson believes change is
here with the Common Core Standards, and that this reform will have a tremendously
positive impact on students. The difficulties become with training and commitment. In
order for this to work, all appropriate parties must commit money and effort. Teachers
are not prepared to teach the way that needs to be to make Common Core successful.
While they are allowed to teach differently and not as constrained by the test, they still
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have a long way to go to teach effectively within the reform. How do we break what has
been pushed on teachers for the last 10 years with No Child Left Behind. I am in
complete agreement with Bixby and his feelings that reform needs to take place within
the size of our institutions and the ability to adapt. He believes we need to get away from
the hugeness and let programs adapt and be flexible to the current trends and interests of
students.
What An Ideal School Would Look Like
The last question I posed to the 2 specialists was to explain what their ideal school
would look like. The answers were interesting and inspiring to me and really showed that
after all the differences between their settings of education, there is a desire and will to
have students taught in a way I believe has the best chance to make positive impacts I the
lives of everyone. Hudson began from a behavioral level when discussing her ideal
school.
My ideal school would be the school that starts with a behavior program
where students are taught how to treat others respectfully. It would not be
the students onlyit would have to be the entire staff treats each other
with kindness, caring, accountability, and responsibility. Teachers would
have time on a regular basis to learn together and to plan together.
Teachers that didnt want to be there would NOT be there but we would
be able to sort out more readily those that needed to be somewhere other
than a school. Class sizes would be reasonable (20) and classes would
work together often. Technology would be a means for students to
collaborate with each other and with others across the country and world.
Learning would be real world, project-based kinds of activities that
students found relevant. The facility would be light and airy and clean.
The leader would be a learner first and foremost and would find new ways
regularly to motivate staff.
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Bixby believes changing behaviors through conservation and nature are vital and that
students learn best through project-based learning experiences.
Nature and outdoors is something Im in tune with and is an import place
to start with young kids because they are much more concrete thinkers.
Having an outdoor school. You can learn everything in your nature
surroundings math, reading, science, etc. A little older kids would be
project based learning. For example Chase County is focusing on
farming. They have farm animals and green houses. Its community
based. The community benefits from the gardens and animals. I like the
idea that doing something that is based on community interests. Then
expand to different areas of focus and not just farming. Interest based
areas leading to professions. They can try different things. Todays
younger generation is all about here in now so you need to connect to real
world and why it matters.

I was struck by depth and conviction the two described their ideal schools. They both
have a strong belief in a behavior change of attitude. Hudson from a respect and
kindness from all standpoint, and Bixby from a respect for the earth and the conservation
of its resources. Those behaviors are so vital to the success of our students, teachers,
parents, and our community. They are perfect place to start with when developing
curriculum. They were also in agreement that curriculum needs to be project based with
real life experiences. There is a connection to actually doing something that cannot be
replicated by teaching to someone.
Discussion
While reviewing the findings of my interviews, I came away amazed how they related
back to the readings and discussions of this past semester. I go back to a Dewey quote
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that I presented in my introduction. What are we to do with this interest are we to
ignore it, or just excite and draw it out? Or shall we get hold of it and direct it to
something ahead, something better (Dewey, 1915/ 2011, p. 32)? This quote continued
to come back at me while writing. Both specialists expressed the need to use the
students interest while building curriculum. Bixby especially can be tied directly to this
quote. He discussed the idea of finding something interesting on the ground while the
students walked around the zoo. The teachers stopped and turned it into a positive
learning experience that those students will remember. We need to grab the interests and
the students and make them apart of the learning experience. Counts argues that our
schools need go to above and beyond just thinking about our society, but that we should
build. We should, however give to our children a vision of the possibilities which lie
ahead and endeavor to enlist their loyalties and enthusiasms in the realization of the
vision (Counts, 1932, p. 48). Like Dewey and the specialists he believes we need to
latch on to the individual excitements. By doing so we are able to bring about a deeper
and more lasting enthusiasm in regards to our schools missions.
When thinking about how we begin creating an effective curriculum, its important to
understand what is the source that we begin with. Through the discussions, I feel that
these specialists truly believe the learner is the source. The students need to be the
starting point of the learning and not just a piece of the puzzle. Learner-focused
curriculum design emphasizes students knowledge. Individual construct, rather than
simply acquire, knowledge, and they do so in unique ways with specific unique
conclusions (Ornstein, Hunkins, 2009, p. 185). Both believe in in project based learning
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with investigative opportunities. They understand that learning is experienced not told to,
and that each outcome is unique to the child.
An area that was not discussed but can be seen in the specialists beliefs is the implicit
curriculum. Through the discussions it was obvious that they work to produce a positive
hidden curriculum that teaches a belief and trust within each other. They are working to
change behaviors that make a difference in not only the child, but also the community.
These changes come from an intrinsic reward to be a better member of society. Eisner
asks: Do we intentionally habituate children to satisfactions that are not a part of the
process itself when we emphasize an extrinsic reward structure? Do we create "reward
junkies" out of our children by using such a payoff system? (Eisner, 2002, p. 90).
Through the curriculum conversation, there was never a mention of extrinsically
rewarding children. That type of reward may produce fast results for a short amount of
time, but it will not bring about positive change for the whole. Hudson and Bixby are in
the curriculum spectrum for the long term not the immediate. They desire to bring about
a change in how we treat each other and how we treat our world.
I would consider both the specialists I interviewed to have a progressive philosophy of
education. They wish to keep learning relevant and focused on students interests. Both
want to create life long learners that are a part of the betterment of society. While I
conclude that they have strong progressive beliefs, its important to understand that they
are not single minded and do have other philosophies that blend into their curriculum
development. In fact Ornstein argues no single philosophy, old or new, should serve as
the exclusive guide for making decisions about schools or about the curriculum
(Ornstein, 2011, p. 10). With a chance to have more discussions with these specialists, I
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would look to find out what other philosophies they use and how they conflict with
progressivism and how they dissolve that conflict to make it work.

Conclusion
Only by being true to the full growth of all the individuals who make it up, can
society by any chance be true to itself (Dewey, 1902, p. 5). Deweys powerful
statement, to me, represents so much of what I learned from the 2 specialists I
interviewed. Both have made a commitment to the whole child and to teach to respect
their individualities. By making this commitment they are providing an opportunity for
their students to not only grow within themselves, but to also grow society in a positive
way.
I learned many lessons through this experience. My first thought is of the importance
of believing in ones mission. In order to truly participate and succeed in an educational
setting, one must first have a vested commitment to their institutions message. Both
specialists went right to their mission statement when talking about personal
philosophies. This seems like an obvious response, but how many educators sincerely
believe in what they are being told to teach. Without the passion and confidence in ones
direction, there is little to no chance of success. The question I come to is, what do you
do if there is no belief from the educators in the institutions mission? Unfortunately this
is happening probably more often than we would want to believe. I contend that there are
only 2 choices a person in this situation faces. Move to a different job that meets your
philosophy, or take a stand and make a change. Both are tough choices and not to be
taken lightly, but they are choices that must be dealt with individually and passionately.
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The next lesson I encountered was related to school reform. I was struck by the
response I received from Dr. Hudson on school reform. She suggests that we are looking
at major and positive reform right now with the Common Core Standards. While I may
not feel the same way, I was impressed with her conviction and knowledge that this was a
good thing. Her explanation to me, did give me hope that if done correctly, this new
reform could be a step in the right direction. The most critical aspect of Common Core
though, will be the ability to enact what is meant to happen. Will teachers be able to truly
have the freedom to teach to the students individual needs? Will they, in light of all the
budget cuts, be given the proper training to meet the needs and standards called for by the
reform. My greatest question though, is what happens when the next historical event
takes place that challenges educators? Do we run and hide behind our past, or do we
stand and push the wave of reform forward? As Dewey states, If we teach today's as
we taught yesterdays we rob them of tomorrow (John Dewey, 1944, p. 167). Bixby
gave a different take on reform. He concluded that we needed to get away from the large
institutional ways of thinking where change takes long amounts of time and huge
amounts of effort. He believes that we need fluidity and adaptation to our curriculums.
These opinions show a stark difference in the specialists settings. I lean towards Bixbys
view of adaptability in smaller amounts. Why base what is happening in The Little
Apple with what is happening in the Big Apple? Individual settings call for individual
curriculums and areas of focus. Let the childs nature fulfill its own destiny (Dewey,
1902, p. 123). I believe Dewey is telling us to be individuals and see what our own
personal nature and environment is. By doing this we will grow as a whole person, but
also grow in our relationship with our own societies.
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My greatest lesson learned from the interviews, was the importance of community and
outside resources within our educational lives. As Dewey (1902) tells us, its a great
waste to not use the outside world during the educational experience. Both specialists
hold a firm belief in community and informal education. Anything that can provide a
positive learning experience should be explored. Good teaching always involves a
synthesis of several elements (Tyler, 1949, p. 94). We are blessed in Manhattan to be
gifted with so many educational resources outside the walls of our schools. From Sunset
Zoo to the Flint Hills Discovery Center, to the Beach Museum of Art, to Kansas State
University and to Fort Riley, we cannot ever use the excuse of its to hard or not
available. As educators at classroom and district levels, we will have failed ourselves,
but most importantly our students if they are not provided with the opportunities to learn
through real-life hands on experiences that are right in front of us.
In conclusion, it is obvious that there are great challenges in front of educators. What
we do with those challenges will not only impact the lives of each individual student, but
also the entire world. Through the specialists I have interviewed, I know there is hope. I
know there is ability and there is vision out there. The question is though, will they be
allowed to stand up and meet the challenges that await them with the financial and
emotional support needed and deserved? Or will they be pushed back out of fear and a
need to control. This is our time for change. We can say that we are at another pivotal
moment in educational history. Through my interviews, I have been inspired and
strengthened in my confidence that change is coming. I take the challenge ahead as a
personal opportunity to continue an ever-developing process of phronesis in my life.

22


References

Dewey, J. (1902) The Child and the Curriculum & Dewey, J. (1915) The School
and Society. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.

Dewey, J. (1944) Democracy and Education, New York: Macmillan Company

Eisner, E. (2002, 3rd ed.). Chap. 4 The Three Curricula that All Schools Teach
The Educational Imagination: On the design and evaluations of school programs

Counts, G. (1932), Dare the School Build a New Social Order. In Flinders, D. J., &
Thorton, Stephen J. (Eds.), The Curriculum Studies Reader (p. 48). Routledge

Marsh, C. & Willis, G. (2007). 4th Ed. Chap. 2. Curriculum history.
Curriculum: Alternative approaches, ongoing issues (pp. 23-67).

Noddings, N. (1983). The False Promise of Paideia: A Critical Review of the Paideia
Proposal. In Flinders, D. J., & Thorton, Stephen J. (Eds.), The Curriculum
Studies Reader (p. 187). Routledge

Ornstein, B. (2011). Philosophy as a Basis for Curriculum Decision, in A. C.
Ornstein, E. F. Pajak, & S. B. Ornstein, Contemporary Issues in Curriculum (5th
ed.). Pearson.

Ornstein, A. & Hunkins, F. (2009). Chapter 6. Curriculum Design
in Curriculum: Foundations, principles, and issues (5th ed.).
Boston, MA: Pearson.

Tyler, R. (1949) Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction. Chicago: The
University of Chicago Press.