Finding My Voice and Future

The Currere Process of a Young Special Education Teacher

Abstract

As a young, first-year teacher, there are endless struggles to face. Upon beginning a graduate program in Elementary Education, I have received my first introduction to the true meaning of curriculum and the currere process. Curriculum is so much more than what is explicitly written for educators to teach. It is every bit of information that students learn, either through lessons or simple interpersonal exchanges, that are not always meant to teach something. With this in mind, I dove into the currere process, analyzing how my past as a student, substitute, and teacher has affected my philosophy of education and who I am as a teacher and student today. I discuss my battle with self-confidence and how I am trying to overcome both that and the unknown of the future. In doing so, I evaluate what I am doing in my current practices and create a plan to achieve what I want for the future.