Defining Curriculum

After a brief Google search this is what I unearthed for possible definitions of 'curriculum'

yourdictionary.com defines curriculum as:
1. a fixed series of studies required, as in a college, for graduation, qualification in a major field of study, etc.
all of the courses, collectively, offered in a school, college, etc., or in a particular subject

answers.com defines curriculum as:
1. All the courses of study offered by an educational institution.
A group of related courses, often in a special field of study: the engineering curriculum

wikipedia.com defines curriculum as:
“In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults.”

Merriam-Webster defines curriculum as:
1 : the courses offered by an educational institution
2 : a set of courses constituting an area of specialization

After reading through each definition I came across, I would have to say that the idea of curriculum being “experiences through which children grow to become mature adults” as stated on Wikipedia.com. I think that it is our ultimate goal to get kids to be prepared to be productive citizens, informed consumers, and prepared to create a life on their own. Without a well developed curriculum, students leave education with holes in their knowledge that could be detrimental. I like to think of curriculum as being the “big picture”. It is the “why” behind what I do every day. Ultimately we need curriculum to preserve our culture and country.