Standard A: Plans Curriculum and Instruction

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree

and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” 

― Abraham Lincoln

Planning curriculum and instruction is all about being prepared: When a teacher is prepared for class, the students instill more trust and respect in their teacher. I have learned that being well-prepared to teach (through hours of unit and lesson planning) has enabled me to be more confident in my content area. This confidence is evident to the students, as they are not hesitant to ask me questions about lessons or anything else.

While planning lessons, I take into consideration student feedback, assessment results, and curriculum frameworks/state standards, so that the class learns through the curriculum in a timely manner and still has opportunities to improve skills that need to be strengthened. Student (and teacher!) success depends on it.