Common Core: Increased stress: Yes, tests and quizzes are part of school, but the pressure to perform is very high right now. Stress trickles down. When teachers are under stress, kids internalize it. With this hyper-focus on the core areas of learning and the constant testing to ensure that the material is being memorized (I mean understood, of course), kids are constantly under pressure to perform. Add a trickle down stress factor to that and kids begin to fall apart. Anxiety disorders among children are already on the rise. Do we really want to see those statistics skyrocket? Creativity is dead: Learning has always included textbooks and spelling tests at the elementary school level. Thats part of the deal. But it used to be that kids were given the opportunity to tap into their creative brains. I wrote my first hardcover book in second grade. I still remember how confident I felt when my little story about a witch evolved into an actual book. Those were the days. Busywork is the name of the game with the Common Core. Kids need to write and rewrite spelling words and sentences until their hands practically fall off. They need to correct sentences that they didnt write because they dont really have the time to come up with their own sentences. Homework includes work packets with more of the same. And dont forget to study for those tests! Forget about problem solving, group work, and thinking outside the box, these kids need to memorize the core curriculum first. Its as if creativity holds no merit. Are you familiar with Steve Jobs? There are people who do exactly what they have to do to get by, and there are people who work harder and end up changing the world. Dont we want to inspire kids to be thought leaders and world changers? Inadequate time to socialize: You know whats really taken a hit in recent years? Recess. Some schools dont have it at all. Recess is when kids truly practice social skills. They take turns. They negotiate. They initiate friendships. They learn to cope with disappointment. Sometimes they work together. Sometimes they dont. But either way, they learn to work it out. But not if they dont have recess. Poor eating habits and insufficient exercise: You cant turn on the TV or open a magazine without hearing about obesity in America these days. Its a problem. And yet, a school lunch is often 15-20 minutes long, forcing kids to wolf down food before the bell rings. So much for listening to hunger cues and chatting with friends -- there is no time for that. And then theres PE. Some school districts have completely cut physical education due to budget issues. With little recess and no PE, kids are not getting enough exercise. No time to decompress: Kids need downtime. There is a lot of talk about over-scheduling and the stress that results from too much going and not enough resting. But kids today are faced with a lot of homework. There are third graders with three hours of homework each night. And that doesnt account for long-term projects. Even if you do manage to under-schedule your kids, many of them have to come right home and do their homework right up to that soccer practice or risk missing recess the next day (if they even have recess). Where is the downtime in that scenario? Its time to rethink the Common Core. Stress is dangerous and impacts physical and emotional health. Its no way to live, and its no way to raise our children. Incidentally, can anyone tell me what kind of career requires people to spit out the answers to 20 math problems in two minutes or less?
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 06:57:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015