A New, Better Definition of Curriculum

My new role as an administrator has afforded me opportunities to observe other teachers in action. In watching two different teachers teach the same class on consecutive days, it became obvious that my definition of curriculum should have focused on the teacher. It is within the teacher's power to dictate pace, mood, and atmosphere. The teacher's actions decide whether a crisis is made worse, or de-escalated. The teacher has the opportunity to correct behavior through subtle influence or by dictum. The teacher has tremendous flexibility in how they choose to deliver material, and, frankly, little accountability in the event they decide to deviate significantly. If, as Steve suggested, curriculum was "everything that occurred in the classroom", the importance of the role of the teacher can't be over-stated.