The Common Core Standards “...discourage, they do not encourage.” I enjoyed this article because this is my view on the sticky subject. Although I am not a teacher yet, just the few things that I have heard about the changes towards common core have put a sour taste in my mouth. Why do we need this change? If it is to make sure that the children in North Dakota are learning the same things as the children in Louisiana, then this is unnecessary. The article explains that we already have the National Assessment of Education Progress which compares the states to one another. This change is to make children college and career ready. I do not believe that changing the curriculum is going to make a child more ready than what they are being taught now. Many children go to college after high-school and move onto getting a job, and the ones that do not go to college try to find a job in society.
All that the Common Core is going to do is discourage children from going to college. When they do not pass these standards, which are out of their reach, they will think of themselves as ignorant and not have enough self-esteem to move onto college. Drop-out rates are about to sky rocket because of Common Core, which will lead to more teenagers getting minimum wage jobs. Actually I see no good in the program! I think that Common Core is going to take the fun out of teaching. Our lesson plans will have to be prepared around what we have to teach instead of what we want to be teaching. We might not even need to make lesson plans anymore, since the curriculum and what to be taught will be directly in front of us in the manual. Before I am on board with the whole idea of Common Core, I am going to need to be educated on both sides of the subject, since right now I am only hearing the negativity of it.
Madeline,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you mentioned the NAEP. I want you to tell me more about it. It appears and it is my hope some of these readings promote curiosity. What do you mean by 'find jobs in society.'
According to the MS (and I know you are from LA) Interim Superintendent for Education, the CC are benchmarks and the curriculum will be left up to the schools and school districts. We'll see how that plays out.
I loved your opening and closing thoughts on the Common Core. It is true that the Common Core involves hearing both sides in order to formulate an educated opinion on the subject. I can say that, after talking with my mom, I learned that she is allowed a lot of freedom within the Common Core. She is still allowed to write all original lesson plans, as long as the standards are incorporated within the lesson plans. However, that is largely because of the principal she works for and the academic freedom he allows his teachers.
ReplyDeleteI agree that in order to fully understand what the Common Core has to offer, you must first know the positive and negative aspects of the program. It does make you want to disagree with the program if all it is going to do is discourage students. Education serves a purpose, and that is simply to educate.
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