Relationship of Leadership & Curriculum

Even as early as the 1870s curriculum and leadership were intertwined. Abbot lists three methods of child government: "1. Government by maneuvering and Artifice. 2. By Reason and Affection. 3. By Authority" (1871, p.11). However, this idea of the adult being in control to the exclusion of the child has changed dramatically in the subsequent 120 years. Wasserman quotes a young child as a guide to her purpose: "I'm not little, I'm four" (1990, p.3).

Ironically, Wasserman proposes many of the same things that Abbot proposed, such as learning by example and play (Wasserman, p. 95). Abbot described in detail an incident wherein a mother began to treat her childrens' dolls as real as the children treated them. Joining in their play, she taught the dolls what she would normally have said to her children. Since it was play, the children listened (pp. 114-120). Abbot notes that if the instructions were delivered directly to her daughters they would probably have been ignored. Certainly children are more likely to be paying attention to something that interests them, like play, than to something an adult chose to impose upon them.

Wasserman also gives a question that should be the concern of every curriculum writer: "Why is this worth knowing?" (p. 97). She then gives charts to exemplify her proposal to classify examples by their seriousness of effect on the students' lives. That an apple is nutritious may be more important than that an apple is a fruit. She adds that "Big ideas

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tically dictated by the school board which is elected by the parents. The problem with this expansion, however, is the description of the situation according to an African proverb "It takes the whole village to raise a child." Many parents don't agree with African ethics, religion, or proverbs, and certainly don't want all the people in the community, criminals and sinners included, helping to raise their children. The move from parent as authority only in the last 120 years to teacher and administrator as co-authority as angered many. Wiles and Bondi address this issue in chapter two of Curriculum Development "The Role of Philosophy in Curriculum Planning". They state that philosophies can "Suggest purpose in education," "Clarify objectives and learning activities in school," "Define the roles of persons working in schools," "Guide the selection of learning strategies and tactics in the classroom" (1993, p.37). This sentence also clarifies the problem. A philosophy is at heart a belief, and Wiles and Bondi have pointed out that what the teacher does with the children is ultimately based on his or her belief in what is the right thing to do, whether Christian ethics or homosexuality as a lifestyle. The administrator is caught b

Category: Psychology - R