Curriculum should be tool, not goal

Back to school.

Will it be business as usual?

Will teachers eagerly anticipate meeting a new group of students?

My, how things have changed in just a few short years! Now it's hard to find a teacher or administrator who looks forward to the requirements of "No Child Left Behind." Each school year gets more dismal as elementary teachers are forced to spend much time drilling for standardized tests in the three R's and reduce, or leave out, the arts, sciences, physical education and social studies — the subjects that make school interesting and learning fun — the subjects that make the three R's meaningful.

What would Utahns do if they were to learn of an alternative to "No Child Left Behind"? What would they do if they were to discover a way to activate greater teacher professionalism, creativity, enthusiasm and accountability? What if they found an alternative that results in big increases in student achievement?

Many years ago, while I was still in the ranks, the teachers at Hill Field Elementary School in Davis County discovered something that could eventually become a revolution in public and private education. The idea is simple but profound — stop viewing student achievement in curriculum as the main goal of public education. Make curriculum a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. What end? Human greatness. Teachers and parents adopted three dimensions of greatness — identity, interaction and inquiry — as their main goals. This shifted curriculum from being the main goal of public education — from being a boss over teachers and parents — to the role of servant, a means to help students grow in greatness.

The shift actually became a reversal of attitude, from desperately trying to standardize students, a la "No Child Left Behind," to valuing and nurturing positive human diversity. The three dimensions of greatness became crystal-clear goals that everyone could keep constantly in mind while teaching:

Identity: Help students discover and develop their innate gifts, talents and abilities — to form a vision of self-worth as contributors, not burdens, to society.

Inquiry: Expand curiosity and hunger for knowledge, and help students learn how and where to search for truth.

Interaction: Help students form healthy relationships and develop powers of expression and communication.