Second Ingredient: Curriculum or Discipline?

Which comes first....curriculum or discipline

Actually, it's both. I have observed some excellent curriculum developed by talented educators. However, excellent curriculum cannot be taught to our students without discipline. Curriculum without discipline looks like the proverbial "wa, wa, wa" in the cartoon world.

Let's look at what I mean by discipline. If you "Google" the word "discipline" you may find the following definitions: (Merriam-Webster) "control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed and punishing bad behavior; a way of behaving that shows a willingness to obey rules or orders; behavior that is judged by how well it follows a set of rules or orders." You might also find this using Google:  "the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience."

I like Google's definition a bit better than Merriam-Webster's. I appreciate the idea that "training people to obey rules" is mentioned. Without training people to what the expectations are, then rules or orders become a list of do's and don't's.

Training to Expectations

What would it look like if educators not only taught the skills of their subject area(s) but also taught students how to behave? We're very good at posting rules on the board but with the number of students who come to school with improper behaviors it is becoming more and more important to take on this added dimension to teaching.

So I guess the second ingredient to this recipe are equal parts curriculum AND discipline.