Less is More

The life-changing magic of decluttering curriculum

In light of recent snow days, (to which we, in Wisconsin, are so accustomed) I have had a revelation. As commonplace as it is, I’ve realized the educational relevance of the old cliche, less is more. Obviously, after missing six instructional days (that my seniors won’t get back) I have to make major cuts to my curriculum. I just have to. I am no wizard with a time turner; I have never traveled to the past in a DeLorean; nor can I use Jedi mind tricks to plant content into my students’ brains. Alas, I have to accept the fact that some things are going to get ditched this year. And we will survive. In fact, in the spirit of Marie Kondo, we will thrive.

So where do I start? As a teacher who has poured so much of herself into her curriculum by curating meaningful resources and focusing on cultural authenticity, it kills me to make cuts.

Everything is so important, I tell myself. But they NEED to read this story! It completely deconstructs the psyche of Colombia’s working class!

Okay, so maybe that’s justification enough for me to keep the story Espuma y nada más. But do they absolutely NEED to watch that one video clip that arbitrarily discusses technology without much context? Truthfully, I only use it because I saw it on an AP teacher’s syllabus and forced it into a unit. Pondering this one, seemingly trite, video, I realized something. If a resource isn’t aligned with my own philosophy, I should ditch it (after graciously thanking it for its contribution, of course).

My process includes a lot of internal conversation, which isn’t exactly problematic. This inner monologue I’ve developed reminds me of what is important in the language classroom — authenticity, communication, and culture. As long as everything I choose can be traced back to those three principles, I’m good.

This entire process, though, has made me think. If I can cut certain things from my curriculum, why were they even there in the first place? Couldn’t I just stick to the most meaningful resources and have more time for all of the other skills that get brushed aside? If I stop trying to squeeze so much content into one course, it’ll leave time for things like inquiry, reflection, progress-monitoring, and individualized goal setting. You know, skills we humans need as we become adults. And isn’t that the objective of all teachers: not necessarily to teach content (as important as it may be) rather to foster growth in our students?

So with that, dear readers, I’ll face my curriculum with a different mindset: What can I pitch? Instead of trying to figure out what I can rush through in order to add something, I’ll keep only what is majorly important; only the aspects of curriculum that support (you guessed it!) authenticity, communication, and culture. And, let me ask the same to you, dear readers. What can you throw out to make room for more meaning in your instruction? Job? Life?

Less is more. It’s time we explore the age-old saying to add value to our students’ development, rather than content to their overloaded academic lives.