We are in our second year with this curriculum and though I like some aspects of it, some of it is frustrating me. I taught Algebra for 9 years, took one year off (that was last year). Yesterday, I read that CPM was killing someone's blog because the lessons were so easy to do. http://larkolicio.us/blog/?p=176. I feel the opposite; they aren't easy for me because I feel restricted and I want to do my old stuff and can't figure out how to fit it in. I find myself wanting to skip lessons and I have gotten frustrated with spending so much time on Algebra Tiles and Guess and Check when many of the students were ready for using the algebra.
I do love how strong my students are this year compared to other years and I do credit the CPM curriculum for that since almost all of my students had math from non-math teachers last year who followed the curriculum very closely. Our school had an enrollment decline and teachers were let go and classes were redistributed. That's also the reason I started teaching Science.
Anyway, I need to figure this out, I don't like how slow we are moving and the students are not as engaged as I would like them to be some days. I might have had more engagement before. I think my blog name "Undetermined" fits my feelings about this curriculum too. I need to get through this year and than work in the summer figuring out how to make this my own. The lessons are well-written and thoughtful but I can't teach someone else's lesson very well.
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