Introduction

My name is Lauren Meunier, I am originally from Midland, Michigan; though I relocated to Arizona after finishing my undergrad at Michigan State University. I am getting ready to start my 5th year teaching English Language Arts at a small charter school in Surprise, AZ (yes, that is the real name of the town and has it really already been 5 years?!). I primarily teach 8th grade Language Arts, but also have taught sections of Senior English in the past. I will be transitioning into a new supportive role on campus. I will still be working as the 8th grade team lead and ELA teacher; however, I will no longer be teaching seniors, freeing up two periods in my school day. During those two periods, I will work with middle school teachers on our implementation of the Cambridge curriculum. It will be a happy medium between coaching and mentoring while still offering me the opportunity to be teaching in my own classroom. I will spend my time observing, planning, and working with our middle school staff to help ensure that we implement Cambridge with fidelity in our middle school so that our students are ultimately prepared for our high school Cambridge courses. This new role should help prepare me for my ultimate goal, to become an instructional coach at my school (and since our population has doubled in the last four years, this may be feasible in the not so distant future).

In addition to my teaching responsibilities, I am the 8th grade team leader, Academic Achievement task force leader, Hiring Team leader, and the adviser to Builders Club (a service learning/volunteering organization for Middle School students).  These responsibilities plus my MSU courses leave me with little “free time,” but I do have a few hobbies I enjoy. Since moving to Arizona, I have a new love for the outdoors and hiking in the mountains. Some of my favorite hikes have been in Sedona, AZ—it is gorgeous there! I also love going to boxing and kickboxing classes at a local gym; it makes me feel tough, almost like I could be an MMA fighter, almost. Lastly, I love reading by the pool (or in the pool when it is 115 degrees outside) and finally live in a house that has one! This summer, I have mostly been reading YA lit (here is a link to a new novel I just chose for my 8th grade class). and books about writing in the Common Core era. 

Now for my thoughts about curriculum, this is tough because, to me, so many things play a role in creating curriculum. Prior to reading Wilson's (2015) website regarding curriculum, I always thought curriculum to be the intentional map, units, lessons, and assessments I put together for my students in order to help them achieve the goals, standards, and skills put forth by Cambridge and the Common Core. However, now I realize that curriculum is much more than the intentional course I create. Curriculum also has a very important social and perceived component; meaning that students essentially help to create curriculum through their prior knowledge, experiences, and interactions with the material presented and each other. In essence, these individual factors make it so that no one student truly receives curriculum in the same way.