Im in a bit of a dilemma. As a teacher, and maybe because Im also an English teacher, I am a firm believer that we need standards that encourage creative and critical thought over rote memorization, an emphasis on improving literacy and seeing writing as more than random facts about grammar and spelling. As a result, I see a lot in the Common Core to be happy about. However, the emphasis placed on using standardized tests to gauge what students know and what teachers can do is inappropriate at best and at worst, turns students into commodities and teachers into drones. My problem is that it is hard to distinguish the standards from the testing. Im lucky in that my school can (and has) opt out of state testing and Im free to interpret and engage the Common Core as I believe it was intended. For the record, while there are many valid arguments to make, I dont see this as the socialization of American education or a big brother type plot-we have always had standards. I am very conflicted and Id love to know what other teachers and parents (or anyone else) thinks.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 15:09:10 +0000
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