I do not know much about Common Core. But, I know that people do not like it. It reminds me of "Race to the Top," and "No Child Left Behind," in that it is disliked by the Left and Right alike. I heard Jeb Bush (not a fan) talk about it, and I thought it was a good idea. He said states and communities would create the standards. But it never seems that way when the federal government is involved.
I don't have a lot of time these days, but I clicked on this video:
'
I'm sure Common Core is a problem, as are many federal mandates, and especially in education. BUT, it bothers me more that the "teacher" can not articulate what she does not like, what about the program she can not work with, etc. First she describes it as "insane." So the host tries to pull more out of her. So, she complains that her son "couldn't keep up with where they wanted him to be." Does Common Core say to leave him behind? Is it "Leave some Children Behind"? That would probably share the same hatred as Common Core.
I don't know, but clearly this teacher does not know either. So the host again tries to ask again - How is Common Core changing teaching? The answer: "It has become very specific, it has certain things that they want us to teach, kindergarten through high school. They have certain skills that they want kids to have at a certain time, a certain age, a certain grade level…" HOW DARE THEY! Who the hell do these Common Core people think they are!
As usual, the teacher complains that they are to "teach-to-the-test." Why? Does Common Core say HOW she has to teach? I do not know (I keep saying that, so that somebody does not think I support Common Core). She also complains about "standardized testing." Does she prefer "Non-Standardized Testing?"
Again, I don't know anything about Common Core (see, really, I don't) - but I have yet to hear (from friends or smart people) what they do not like about it. All I have heard, is that it is hard for the students, and it sets standards too high. Who set these standards? I can tell you this - Princeton and some other top schools have started to lower their grades, meaning an 'A' at Princeton is more than an 'A' at Harvard. That sounds like "Better than Common Core" to me.
I think the problem, again, is that NO solution to our education problem, can come from Washington DC, except FREEDOM. Free the teachers, free the schools, and mandate free choice.
If I were king for a day - I would reduce the Department of Education to a Secretary and his or her secretary. I would reduce the budget to that person's salary, and traveling expenses.
I guess Common Core is not the solution - but it has been good for one thing - exposing bad teachers.
2 comments:
Common Core reduces teaching and learning to a set of liberally-dictated axioms that teach students what to think, but not how to think. It therefore becomes a tool of businesses, teacher's unions, and government bureaucrats to set standards that reinforce dogmatic liberalism.
One of the members of the committee who set the standards had this to say. Common Core is "empty skill sets that weaken the basis of literary and cultural knowledge needed for authentic college coursework."
Does that get you pointed in the right direction why Common Core is not good for our children?
History is eliminated from Common Core. I suspect that even the liberal texts that children must study from today offer some concerning historical precedents that liberals would just as soon have removed from common knowledge.
Post a Comment