The Outrage over Common Core Doesn’t Add Up

It all started when a group of business leaders and educators got together and lamented about how each state had their own standardized testing. With this system in place, some states fared better than others when it came to college entrance, job placement, etc., all because some states were preparing their students better than others.

You can just imagine how that news played out in the states lagging behind.

As a result, business leaders and educational professionals began dialogue on how to better equalize the playing field and yet better prepare students across the nation for the jobs in the present-day workforce and the workforce to come. A strong emphasis on the “STEM” subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) were promoted for obvious reasons.

In a cursory glance, you can understand why they did what they did. The questions people are having now, after the fact, after these standards have already been developed and rolled out, are curiously late. I’m not faulting Mr. & Mrs. Jones living on AnyStreet USA, trying to put food on the table and raise a family—at least not yet.

At this very moment, I’m faulting our elected officials and the people they supervise, namely, The U.S. Dept. of Education. This department was in charge of developing these standards. The U.S. government was responsible for overseeing those standards to make sure they were the best they could be. However, it seems many a politician had no clue what was in those standards, and it wasn’t until a few Mr. & Mrs. Joneses either read them or dealt with them first hand as their students learned flawed material in class, that the people ultimately responsible for these standards suddenly took note. As a matter of fact, Common Core wasn’t even developed properly by standards developed for standard writing. Those responsible for helping set the standards on standards didn’t even follow their own standards. Wow. I’m shocked. Aren’t you? “Do as I say, not as I do….”

However, before we throw your Democratic & Republican representatives to the wolves, we need to

ask ourselves a good question: “Who elected these officials who apparently didn’t know: 1) who wrote the standards; 2) who was responsible for overseeing those standards; and 3) what they contained?”

“In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve.” No one seems to know who actually said this, but it’s gold, nevertheless. We are ultimately responsible. We, the people. We vote representatives in. We allow them to be swayed by lobbyists. We look the other way when they vote their conscious instead of the will of the people they represent. We often vote them in simply because of name recognition. Yeah, that’s a good reason. Good thing Adolph Hitler and Charles Manson aren’t around to throw their hats in the ring.

I get it. Some material in the new educational standards adopted by nearly all 50 states in the beginning is questionable. Some would argue downright propaganda and determined to indoctrinate students. Those who espouse such beliefs have some legitimate concerns and the material to back up those claims. Their outrage has caused many to put on the brakes to full implementation to Common Core.

Some states, Like Florida, for example, have “gone off the reservation” and created their own version of the Common Core, called the Florida Standardized Assessments, or FSA’s. However, those were created so late in the game, results have been delayed as the validity of the test has come into question.

Parents, upset with the entire process and the fact schools in America are lagging behind their industrial counterparts, are fighting back by pulling their students out of regular, public education systems and opting for home schooling, online schooling, or a combination of the two.

I, for one, have no problem with home schooling or online education so long as it meets the needs of the student and doesn’t serve some other nefarious agenda. Some students work better in other environments. We see it all the time in education. Not every student was cut out for a regimented, K-12, assembly-line kind of format. Some educational professionals would even go so far to say that most students don’t fit that mold anymore and to keep holding to Henry Ford model is antiquated and needs to go. But that’s a different discussion for a different time.

I have one question that keeps coming back to mind each time this outrage over Common Core raises its head. Where has the outrage been in the past? Let’s face it, Common Core, for all intents and purposes, is nothing more than politicians and business conglomerates deciding for the American public what THEY think is best for America. Translation? What makes them more money, gives them more political clout, and helps them maintain the money and power they already enjoy?

And please don’t make this a Democrat versus Republican debate. The Republicans and the Democrats are all in when it comes to Common Core. Very few on either side see issues with Common Core, and if they do, many of them didn’t until they started experiencing political backlash. And even then, they still believe Common Core is the way to go, it just needs to be tweaked or redesigned.

Take, for example, this article on the Republican side of the ledger. Some Republicans changed their views after a wave of outrage hit the news and made them look bad. But many still support it. Some of which are presently running for president.

Same goes for the Democrats. There is definitely bi-partisan support for the new standards.

Big Business is behind it, too. Who makes up those businesses, better known as the Business Round Table? Click HERE to see the roughly 200 represented. And some businesses are not represented but still hold great sway, like Bill Gates and his foundation, for example.

Some would argue colleges and universities have been indoctrinating students for decades now. Opponents have compelling reasons to believe that. Yet, where has the outrage been in those instances? Why has it been allowed to continue?

The simple answer is this: We’re too busy. Too busy living our lives. Too busy enjoying life, making ends meet, spending time with family. I see this in microcosmic form nearly every day. Parents too busy to be involved in the life of their child. We run into this all the time as educators:

Scenario #1: The child is failing.

“So, what are you going to do about it, Mr. Educator? I’m a single parent, and I can’t bring him to tutoring in the morning.”

“Well, it would help if Little Johnny simply came to school every day for starters. He’s missed 35% of the school year so far.”

“I can’t make him come to school. He’s bigger than I am. Besides, I leave for work before he leaves for school. You’ll need to change your hours or send a bus early to come pick him up.”

Scenario #2: The child gets into trouble a lot.

“Mr. Educator, I know. I see the same behaviors at home. She mouths off to me, too. I’ve taken everything away from her. All she has in her room is a mattress and some clothes. No electronics. No cell phone. Nothing.”

“Well, ma’am, the problem is, she put her hands on another child this time. It wasn’t just verbal. And of course, that’s not allowed. That’s why she’s getting suspended.”

“Suspended? No. She ain’t gettin’ suspended.”

“Yes, ma’am. She is. Any child who strikes another student on this campus gets suspended. It’s called Battery, ma’am.”

“You know, that’s the problem with education today. All you want to do is send your problems home to the parents.”

Those were true life scenarios. The names were changed to protect the not-so-innocent.

Why do I bring all this up? To make a point. Any educational change, whether it be a simple tweak in a child’s attendance or behavior, whether it be a wholesale change to nationalized standards, or something in between, it starts with us. We, the people.

And please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not advocating one political party over another (I would hope this article points to the fact that there’s plenty of blame to go around on both sides of the political aisle). Nor am I leading a charge against Common Core or one in favor of it. I see all these things—corrupt politicians, flawed nationalized standards, a sagging economy, a slumping educational status amongst world leaders—as symptoms, not the cause.

The cause is an apathetic public willing to relinquish the wheelhouse of the country to people who have proven over and over again they can’t steer very well. When the captain and his crew keep running the ship aground, shouldn’t we be looking for a new captain and crew?

*Generic photos courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

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Short Bio

C. KEVIN THOMPSON is an ordained minister with a B.A. In Bible (Houghton College, Houghton, NY), an M.A. in Christian Studies (Wesley Biblical Seminary, Jackson, MS), and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership (National-Louis University, Wheeling, IL). He presently works as an assistant principal in a middle school. He also has several years experience as an administrator at the high school level.

A former Language Arts teacher, Kevin decided to put his money where his mouth was and write, fiction mostly. Now, years later, he is a member of the Christian Authors Network (CAN), American Christian Fictions Writers (ACFW), and Word Weavers International. He is the Chapter President of Word Weavers-Lake County (FL), and his published works include two award-winning novels, The Serpent’s Grasp (Winner of the 2013 Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference Selah Award for First Fiction) and 30 Days Hath Revenge - A Blake Meyer Thriller: Book 1, as well as articles in The Wesleyan Advocate, The Preacher, Vista, The Des Moines Register and The Ocala Star-Banner.

Kevin is a huge fan of the TV series 24 , The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, and Criminal Minds, loves anything to do with Star Trek, and is a Sherlock Holmes fanatic, too.

Website:           www.ckevinthompson.com

Blogs:               www.ckevinthompson.blogspot.com

Facebook:          C. Kevin Thompson – Author Page

Twitter:            @CKevinThompson

Goodreads:        C. Kevin Thompson

Stop Treating Education Like a Punch Line in a Bad Movie

Just watch T.V. for a day. Especially the teenybopper shows on Disney XD or Nickelodeon. Even certain movies on the big screen. They all do it.

Picture the scene.

A teenager, who hates Mom, hates Dad, hates the world, but loves head smashing, vocal cord ruining music like Bullet for My Valentine, walks into a “normal, American classroom.” The teacher is whatever is needed in this ridiculous or sordid tale. The instructor can be a mousy, lousy, “You wonder how she ever got her teaching certificate” kind of teacher who couldn’t teach a gifted student if she tried, and who wouldn’t be hired by any experienced principal. Or the teacher is an old, blue-haired, badgering, knuckle-rapping Neanderthal with an apron who beats her grandchildren’s stuff animals just to set an example...and never, ever allows anyone to talk unless they have raised their hand. Then, of course, there’s the lavishly attired, dress code wrecking, professionally acting (if we’re talking about walking certain streets in New York City around 11:00 PM) twenty-something teacher who bends over. A lot.

The stereotypical picture of an American educator. And this hackneyed depiction becomes the supposed microcosm of an average American classroom. “Just go anywhere in the U.S., and you’ll find one of these three teachers behind the desk,” is the common belief.

And don’t even mention the news reports about the teachers who are getting arrested for child pornography, domestic violence, or other criminal activity. And definitely don’t say, “Common Core.” Unless you want to start a war.

Is it any wonder children hate education?

Let’s be realistic, though. It’s not the children who have created these stereotypes. The kids didn’t write the scripts for those TV shows and movies masquerading as entertainment (nor are they the teenage actors and actresses masquerading as actors and actresses). The students didn’t get arrested and have their faces shown on the morning news for all to see. The children didn’t ask for a major, governmentally directed curriculum change.

They’re just forced to go and endure. At least, that’s how they look at it. One hundred and eighty days of mandated torture.

Why?

Because we adults have made it that way. Agendas and laws and politics and money have taken a good idea and made it what it is today: a debacle.

So, what’s a parent to do?

How about changing your child’s view of what education truly is?

It’s all about the learning. The discovery. The wonder. You know how it is when you read something about a topic you thought you knew everything about, and then one new, little tidbit of information makes you say, “Oh, wow…” Your blood pressure rises a little. Your heart rate accelerates just a touch. And the feeling you get from learning becomes like a mild narcotic. That’s why you spend the extra hour that night browsing on the internet when you should be going to bed. That’s why you read another chapter of that book. You want to experience that feeling again. You want to learn.

We’re all wired that way. Humans want to learn. Why do you think toddlers gets into everything? Dropping one thing and running to another “shiny object”? Why do they want to touch it? Put it in their mouths? Bend it? Bang it against the wall? Bang it against the floor? Bang it against their sibling's head?

Discovery. To learn.

Why do teenagers experiment with so many things? Music. Drugs. Friends. Boyfriends. Girlfriends. Clothes. Social Media.

We say “they are trying to discover who they are in this big, scary world.” There’s truth there, hidden amongst the peer pressure and desire to fit in (which is a sign someone who just wants to be loved by people who are—at that moment—deemed important, by the way).

So, the trick is to help your child’s love for learning flourish. Help them see that learning is not something that only happens at school. Children and teenagers are notorious for “compartmentalizing” their lives. It’s a defense mechanism designed to help better protect them against “information overload.” They adopt the Las Vegas mentality when it comes to school: What is learned in Language Arts class stays in Language Arts class.

However, this placing of one thing in this box (like Math, for example), and the placing of a different thing in a different box (like history, for example) can be detrimental to their learning curve. The kids who do well in school see the interconnectedness of topics. They understand that math and science are related more than you see on the surface, and they apply the mathematical principles they learn in Mrs. So-and-So’s class to the scientific principles they learn in Mr. Whatchamacallit’s class. Yet, they also see how these principles relate to the discovery of some medical breakthrough or the invention of an industrial machine created in the 18^th century, and how the person who discovered it did so.

Helping your student learn how to love learning will be one of the best gifts you can give your child. And the best way you can accomplish this process is to model it. And no, sitting in front of the TV watching the likes of The Housewives of Atlanta or Ice Truckers isn’t going to cut it. Unless that’s the kind of child you really want to produce. It’s the old “Monkey see, Monkey do” conundrum.

Your children need to see you reading about subjects you wish to delve into more. If you’re a fiction reader, you need to share with your family the interesting facts you learned about a subject while enjoying the story. However, you need to mix it up with some non-fiction, too. If a topic arises around the dinner table (I know, who does that anymore? Sad, huh?) or in the car on the way to soccer practice, make it a point to sit around the computer and investigate that subject more later that evening. You could even make a game of it. One person on the desktop computer, the other on the tablet. On your mark, get set, go! Who can find ten facts nobody in the family knew about that subject the fastest? And don't forget to fact check...primary sources...primary sources...primary sources are more reliable than secondary ones...

In the midst of modeling your learning, you are accomplishing three things. First, you are showing your children that you’re never too old to learn. That the world is a big place. The universe even bigger. No one person knows everything about everything. 

Second, you’re showing them (hopefully) safe and efficient ways to research new areas and enjoy learning in a variety of ways. And, you're doing so as a family. Don't get caught up in the techno-family paradigm where Dad's on his cell phone, Mom's on her cell phone, the kids are on their cell phones, sitting around the living room, being together but living separate lives, doing separate things, never really communicating in this supposed communicative age we live in, and all the while tricking themselves into thinking they are somehow doing something constructive "as a family." If you can do in separate countries what you can do in the living room, then it's not "family time." That's called "close proximity." 

And third, you’ll have an excellent opportunity to discuss things you discover and determine their merit. Aristotle said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” Just because someone said it or put it in print doesn’t necessarily make it true or correct.

Learning how to learn is actually more important than learning a bunch of facts and figures. It’s like the fishing analogy: “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he eats for a lifetime.” Showing your child how to learn is something they can take with them no matter where they go, what they learn, or who they become. And it always outlives an Xbox.

By the way, summertime is a great time to start this process. Before school kicks life into high gear again.

And maybe, just maybe, you can dispel some of those stereotypes about education (which is what learning is) along the way.

*Generic photos courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

_____________________________________

Short Bio

C. KEVIN THOMPSON is an ordained minister with a B.A. In Bible (Houghton College, Houghton, NY), an M.A. in Christian Studies (Wesley Biblical Seminary, Jackson, MS), and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership (National-Louis University, Wheeling, IL). He presently works as an assistant principal in a middle school. He also has several years experience as an administrator at the high school level.

A former Language Arts teacher, Kevin decided to put his money where his mouth was and write, fiction mostly. Now, years later, he is a member of the Christian Authors Network (CAN), American Christian Fictions Writers (ACFW), and Word Weavers International. He is the Chapter President of Word Weavers-Lake County (FL), and his published works include two award-winning novels, The Serpent’s Grasp (Winner of the 2013 Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference Selah Award for First Fiction) and 30 Days Hath Revenge - A Blake Meyer Thriller: Book 1, as well as articles in The Wesleyan Advocate, The Preacher, Vista, The Des Moines Register and The Ocala Star-Banner.

Kevin is a huge fan of the TV series 24 , The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, and Criminal Minds, loves anything to do with Star Trek, and is a Sherlock Holmes fanatic, too.

Website:           www.ckevinthompson.com

Blogs:               www.ckevinthompson.blogspot.com

Facebook:          C. Kevin Thompson – Author Page

Twitter:            @CKevinThompson

Goodreads:        C. Kevin Thompson