This post will consist of two things. First, I will present an excerpt from a paper that I wrote a couple of years ago and then I will share my thoughts about and experiences with the common core. As an educator and a student, education has become a huge and important part of my life. I hope that this provokes thoughts and ideas in parents, students and educators alike as we remember how important learning is.
Paper excerpt:
Common core is the most recent implementation of the United States education system. It is meant to bring different curricula, from different school systems across the United States, into alignment with one another by following the principles of standards-based education reform. The common core standards are built to help students prepare for a career, as well as higher education. As good as this may seem, these standards are the cause of some of the biggest debates when it comes to the education system. While many systems are happily adopting the new curricula, there are parents and teachers alike who do not think that it is the best idea for the children. The common core standards are quickly becoming widespread across the nation, but they are not really preparing students for their future, or allowing for the diversity of learning that is needed to thrive in ones’ life. Children are taught in such a way that their brains, and thought process, become molded to think similarly instead of having their own beliefs and views. Common core standards teach children how to get to the next level without really learning the same way as they would have in the old systems and are meant to raise graduation and test percentages.
The common core standards are not really helping the children of the United States, but having them conform to a standard mode of learning through technology and other forms of government-lead tools. Learning is something that individuals differ upon. We all know that there are different types of learners. There are auditory learners, visual learners and kinesthetic learners. The common core is essentially taking away the diversity of learning and telling each student that they must learn in the same way as their peers. This is a huge problem because there are some students who cannot just sit, listen and understand instantaneously. There are also those students who need to sit and listen, but are not given the opportunity to do so. Many students are being deprived of learning how they want and what they want. Instead they are being taught to conform to a certain learning style and that only certain information is right.
The common core system is set up to make the country, and its education system, look good, and not really help the children in their future. One of the biggest aims of the common core system is to implement a secular and materialist education (Newman). The common core is a system where each student will graduate with the same views as the next student. It takes away a lot of the power that parents have when it comes to molding their children and implementing certain beliefs. For example, in the health section of common core, students are taught certain health and sexuality skills and must master them before they can continue. It teaches children different sexual standards and why they are all ok. Children are also taught that gender is not biological, but is decided by a person and by the government. The government’s view on gender is the only view on gender (Newman). Children are being molded to the point that the future of the American society will look exactly how the government wants it to look. It is absolutely imparative to teach diversity and acceptance, but there is something wrong with teaching a child how to think and learn for the rest of their lives, especially when the parents are not involved.
Common core is all about knowing the system and conforming your ways to match others. Growing up I have heard that if you simply know the system, you can get by. I heard this, but was never taught how to do it because the adults around me wanted me to learn things for myself and gain true knowledge and experience. It seems that the common core system is not only telling children that they can get by if they know the system, it is giving them the system. In high school, my friends and I would always try to figure out our teachers because if we figured out our teachers it would be easier to pass their classes. Figure out how their tests are set up and if there is a certain way to pass without studying we would do that. Common core does not encourage students to study and learn in their own fashion. Students are no longer going home to study math, English or science, they are going home to study the system because they know that if they learn the system they can get by. Students are not learning with this new system, students are being molded and built into regular common knowledge robots that will simply fall into place where they are “meant to be”. If the government can control, and mold, the young minds of the future, then they will, no doubt, control everything that we love about this “free world.”
Common core is the most recent implementation of the United States education system. It is meant to bring different curricula, from different school systems across the United States, into alignment with one another by following the principles of standards-based education reform. The common core standards are built to help students prepare for a career, as well as higher education. As good as this may seem, these standards are the cause of some of the biggest debates when it comes to the education system. While many systems are happily adopting the new curricula, there are parents and teachers alike who do not think that it is the best idea for the children. The common core standards are quickly becoming widespread across the nation, but they are not really preparing students for their future, or allowing for the diversity of learning that is needed to thrive in ones’ life. Children are taught in such a way that their brains, and thought process, become molded to think similarly instead of having their own beliefs and views. Common core standards teach children how to get to the next level without really learning the same way as they would have in the old systems and are meant to raise graduation and test percentages.
The common core standards are not really helping the children of the United States, but having them conform to a standard mode of learning through technology and other forms of government-lead tools. Learning is something that individuals differ upon. We all know that there are different types of learners. There are auditory learners, visual learners and kinesthetic learners. The common core is essentially taking away the diversity of learning and telling each student that they must learn in the same way as their peers. This is a huge problem because there are some students who cannot just sit, listen and understand instantaneously. There are also those students who need to sit and listen, but are not given the opportunity to do so. Many students are being deprived of learning how they want and what they want. Instead they are being taught to conform to a certain learning style and that only certain information is right.
The common core system is set up to make the country, and its education system, look good, and not really help the children in their future. One of the biggest aims of the common core system is to implement a secular and materialist education (Newman). The common core is a system where each student will graduate with the same views as the next student. It takes away a lot of the power that parents have when it comes to molding their children and implementing certain beliefs. For example, in the health section of common core, students are taught certain health and sexuality skills and must master them before they can continue. It teaches children different sexual standards and why they are all ok. Children are also taught that gender is not biological, but is decided by a person and by the government. The government’s view on gender is the only view on gender (Newman). Children are being molded to the point that the future of the American society will look exactly how the government wants it to look. It is absolutely imparative to teach diversity and acceptance, but there is something wrong with teaching a child how to think and learn for the rest of their lives, especially when the parents are not involved.
Common core is all about knowing the system and conforming your ways to match others. Growing up I have heard that if you simply know the system, you can get by. I heard this, but was never taught how to do it because the adults around me wanted me to learn things for myself and gain true knowledge and experience. It seems that the common core system is not only telling children that they can get by if they know the system, it is giving them the system. In high school, my friends and I would always try to figure out our teachers because if we figured out our teachers it would be easier to pass their classes. Figure out how their tests are set up and if there is a certain way to pass without studying we would do that. Common core does not encourage students to study and learn in their own fashion. Students are no longer going home to study math, English or science, they are going home to study the system because they know that if they learn the system they can get by. Students are not learning with this new system, students are being molded and built into regular common knowledge robots that will simply fall into place where they are “meant to be”. If the government can control, and mold, the young minds of the future, then they will, no doubt, control everything that we love about this “free world.”
Thoughts and Experiences:
For the past two years I have worked in a Baltimore City Public School and it was one of the toughest experiences that I have had, so far, as an educator. In my first year at the school I was in a fifth grade math classroom. As an English major, math is not my strong suit, but I figured that I would be able to help ten and eleven year olds with elementary mathematics. Well, I was wrong. On the first day, the teacher that I was working with advised me that I would have to learn basic math all over again in order to be affective in the classroom. She also told me to try not to get frustrated because she sure was, during the summer, as she was prepairing to introduce the new curriculum to the students. Throughout the year I witnessed smart students struggle as they tried to adapt to a system that did not match their learning styles. Some students caught on quickly, but I adamantly worked with students that did not catch on as we attempted to learn the material together. This past year, I was privilaged to work with some of the smartest, and cutest, five and six year olds in America. Everything seemed to function in the way a kindrrgarten class should. The classroom was colorful and vibrant which invited the students to learn in exciting ways. The teacher went over basic learning skills; numbers, letters, how to write their names and words, etc. I enjoyed seeing the children grow as students and as people. I loved everything about it until we got to late September/early October and the teacher asked me to assist her in testing the students. I gave her a puzzled look and said, "test the students?" I was not tested in kindergarten. With a disappointed look on her face, she expressed her frustration and told me that they had to test the students to track their progress as well as the teacher's performance. As we all know, there are kindergartners that are full of character and love to share their knowledge, such as my younger brother, and then there are those who freeze under pressure, some seem to forget their own name and there are even those that forget how to speak all together. Not only are a lot of these young children shy, but some develop test anxiety at a young age like I did. As a matter of fact, I still struggle with tests because my mind tends to go completely blank under pressure, especially in a school setting. Because of these key factors, a few children may have to be held back at the end of this school year even if they are as smart as, or even smarter than, the children that will advance to the first grade.
Earlier this week I had a working interview at the Free School of Albany, New York. When one walks into the Free School it may seem slightly chaotic. At certain points in the day there are students walking around the building doing, what looks like, whatever they want to do. What is actually taking place, as students, from pre-k to eigth grade, are moving from room to room, is a freedom to learn what they want and how they want. Still sounds chaotic right? Well, during these times, the students are given options by the teachers and the students are well aware that they are not allowed to be stagnant. Whether the students are playing with other students and working on their social skills, doing art projects and working on their creative skills, or working on their academic skills, they are learning non stop and becoming well rounded citizens while also proving that they are some of the smartest young students that one will ever encounter. I fell in love with this school and hope to get an offer for many reasons. But one of the main reasons was because it reminded me of my few years at Green Acres School in Rockville, Maryland. At Green Acres I was able to enjoy my academic environment because I was given the freedom to learn how I was meant to learn, become a well rounded and open minded person, and take advantage of the array of great teachers and resources that the school made available.
I would advise parents to enroll their students into such schools. Some can be quite pricey, but scholarships are not just available for college students (that is how my sister and I were able to attend Green Acres) and there are schools, such as the Free School, that have income based tuition. If you want to keep your children in schools that run on the core curriculum, know that they are, sadly, being made into drones that are taught to spit out what they "learned" at the drop of a hat. It is important that you teach your students, that are in core curriculum schools, how to be open minded, well rounded, socially aware human beings because they are not always given that in those schools. To educators that teach in such schools, remember that not all students learn the same and that just because little Zachary can give you the answers that the system calls for, it does not mean that he is truly learning. Find new and fun ways to teach the students that will help them to keep their minds off of things such as assessments and other situations that may make them feel uncomfortable as a student. I sure wish that I had more teachers like that when I attended public school and even now, as a college student.
For the past two years I have worked in a Baltimore City Public School and it was one of the toughest experiences that I have had, so far, as an educator. In my first year at the school I was in a fifth grade math classroom. As an English major, math is not my strong suit, but I figured that I would be able to help ten and eleven year olds with elementary mathematics. Well, I was wrong. On the first day, the teacher that I was working with advised me that I would have to learn basic math all over again in order to be affective in the classroom. She also told me to try not to get frustrated because she sure was, during the summer, as she was prepairing to introduce the new curriculum to the students. Throughout the year I witnessed smart students struggle as they tried to adapt to a system that did not match their learning styles. Some students caught on quickly, but I adamantly worked with students that did not catch on as we attempted to learn the material together. This past year, I was privilaged to work with some of the smartest, and cutest, five and six year olds in America. Everything seemed to function in the way a kindrrgarten class should. The classroom was colorful and vibrant which invited the students to learn in exciting ways. The teacher went over basic learning skills; numbers, letters, how to write their names and words, etc. I enjoyed seeing the children grow as students and as people. I loved everything about it until we got to late September/early October and the teacher asked me to assist her in testing the students. I gave her a puzzled look and said, "test the students?" I was not tested in kindergarten. With a disappointed look on her face, she expressed her frustration and told me that they had to test the students to track their progress as well as the teacher's performance. As we all know, there are kindergartners that are full of character and love to share their knowledge, such as my younger brother, and then there are those who freeze under pressure, some seem to forget their own name and there are even those that forget how to speak all together. Not only are a lot of these young children shy, but some develop test anxiety at a young age like I did. As a matter of fact, I still struggle with tests because my mind tends to go completely blank under pressure, especially in a school setting. Because of these key factors, a few children may have to be held back at the end of this school year even if they are as smart as, or even smarter than, the children that will advance to the first grade.
Earlier this week I had a working interview at the Free School of Albany, New York. When one walks into the Free School it may seem slightly chaotic. At certain points in the day there are students walking around the building doing, what looks like, whatever they want to do. What is actually taking place, as students, from pre-k to eigth grade, are moving from room to room, is a freedom to learn what they want and how they want. Still sounds chaotic right? Well, during these times, the students are given options by the teachers and the students are well aware that they are not allowed to be stagnant. Whether the students are playing with other students and working on their social skills, doing art projects and working on their creative skills, or working on their academic skills, they are learning non stop and becoming well rounded citizens while also proving that they are some of the smartest young students that one will ever encounter. I fell in love with this school and hope to get an offer for many reasons. But one of the main reasons was because it reminded me of my few years at Green Acres School in Rockville, Maryland. At Green Acres I was able to enjoy my academic environment because I was given the freedom to learn how I was meant to learn, become a well rounded and open minded person, and take advantage of the array of great teachers and resources that the school made available.
I would advise parents to enroll their students into such schools. Some can be quite pricey, but scholarships are not just available for college students (that is how my sister and I were able to attend Green Acres) and there are schools, such as the Free School, that have income based tuition. If you want to keep your children in schools that run on the core curriculum, know that they are, sadly, being made into drones that are taught to spit out what they "learned" at the drop of a hat. It is important that you teach your students, that are in core curriculum schools, how to be open minded, well rounded, socially aware human beings because they are not always given that in those schools. To educators that teach in such schools, remember that not all students learn the same and that just because little Zachary can give you the answers that the system calls for, it does not mean that he is truly learning. Find new and fun ways to teach the students that will help them to keep their minds off of things such as assessments and other situations that may make them feel uncomfortable as a student. I sure wish that I had more teachers like that when I attended public school and even now, as a college student.
