Why are people so upset about Common Core?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It should be the decision of the teacher, whether or not the curriculum covers math facts in class? So if you get a teacher who thinks that math facts should get taught in class, you'll learn your math facts, but if you get a teacher who thinks that math facts should not get taught in class, you'd better hope that you learn them somewhere else?

Yikes.

You don't get it. It's not that the teacher decides whether or not the kid learns math facts. It's that the teacher can see who has already learned them and who hasn't and adjust so that those who already know them aren't bored to tears and those who don't know them get the opportunity to learn them. This is a teacher decision.

If you don't have teachers who are free to do this, the problem is not the teacher, it's the one size structure they are being forced to teach in. The TEACHER has to be free to make decisions about this.

3rd grade teacher here. In my experience, teachers certainly DO have the freedom to determine whether time in class is spent covering math facts, however the reason it typically doesn't happen is because very few questions on the SOL actually have to do with straight up multiplication, and for those problems the kids can still get the correct answer by using strategies like repeated addition or arrays. I've seen students who absolutely do not know their math facts, still get these questions correct on the SOL. Sadly it simply doesn't make since for teachers to devote much class time to memorization of facts, when the students can still get the correct answers by using long, time consuming strategies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. Most of my colleagues don't like the way it was implemented so quickly. They are writing the curriculum very quickly and not giving it to us until the last minute. We don't have time to prepare and we end up making a lot of the materials on our own. So we are working overtime times 100 and we are burnt out. I think it is a bit too ambitious myself but I teach in a Title 1 school.

I agree, but it's like that with most curriculum- you're told what to teach, but not given the materials/resources to teach it. IMO, this is one of the biggest problems in education. But at least with Common Core, I feel like since it is so widespread, in a few years you will start seeing a plethora of textbooks and materials developed that support it.

I started a thread awhile back asking if teachers would prefer to have curriculum materials or make their own up and overwhelmingly was told that teachers preferred to make their own materials and not be given anything by the county they work for. Which is it? I agree that making your own materials every day is a bit too much when you have to teach them too. No one needs a teacher trying to be so innovative every day that he or she spends more time planning than actually teaching.

Teacher here, and I desperately wish I didn't have to make up my own materials. It is basically another full time job on top of the time I spend in the classroom. Teachers are human. When we get home we want to enjoy our lives like everyone else.

q


I agree. I don't know why all those teachers were writing in saying they wanted to do all of it on their own. For some lessons, sure, but why every day you want to be a publisher and a teacher is beyond me. I can see why a school system would be confused though. They get blamed if the curriculum is too structured. Of course, teachers should be able to teach to the level of their students, but why wouldn't they want some resources to help them?

My theory is the majority of teachers are deeply resentful of having to produce their own materials, but are reluctant to admit it because they don't want o be accused of not being "devoted" enough to their students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

^ And when I said that teacher created lessons are best, I meant lessons, not curriculum. The curriculum is already there and the lessons are based on it.


But the Common Core standards explicitly call for children to know their math facts. The curriculum is based on those standards. What, exactly, is the difference between "the curriculum" and "the lessons that are based on the curriculum"?

Okay. Sorry. Then what I meant was that the teacher should create the curriculum. A poster made it sound like the teacher was not using the standards if he/she made decisions. I was trying to say that the teacher needs to make the decisions regarding the curriculum.

So you want the teachers to not just teach, but also to create their own curriculum? (In their spare time?) 3 million different curricula?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. Most of my colleagues don't like the way it was implemented so quickly. They are writing the curriculum very quickly and not giving it to us until the last minute. We don't have time to prepare and we end up making a lot of the materials on our own. So we are working overtime times 100 and we are burnt out. I think it is a bit too ambitious myself but I teach in a Title 1 school.

I agree, but it's like that with most curriculum- you're told what to teach, but not given the materials/resources to teach it. IMO, this is one of the biggest problems in education. But at least with Common Core, I feel like since it is so widespread, in a few years you will start seeing a plethora of textbooks and materials developed that support it.

I started a thread awhile back asking if teachers would prefer to have curriculum materials or make their own up and overwhelmingly was told that teachers preferred to make their own materials and not be given anything by the county they work for. Which is it? I agree that making your own materials every day is a bit too much when you have to teach them too. No one needs a teacher trying to be so innovative every day that he or she spends more time planning than actually teaching.

Teacher here, and I desperately wish I didn't have to make up my own materials. It is basically another full time job on top of the time I spend in the classroom. Teachers are human. When we get home we want to enjoy our lives like everyone else.

q


I agree. I don't know why all those teachers were writing in saying they wanted to do all of it on their own. For some lessons, sure, but why every day you want to be a publisher and a teacher is beyond me. I can see why a school system would be confused though. They get blamed if the curriculum is too structured. Of course, teachers should be able to teach to the level of their students, but why wouldn't they want some resources to help them?

My theory is the majority of teachers are deeply resentful of having to produce their own materials, but are reluctant to admit it because they don't want o be accused of not being "devoted" enough to their students.

I would really appreciate if teachers who feel this way would at least post their dislike for having to make their own materials in the question to teachers thread below. Our school district in VA does not follow Common Core and would be unlikely to read this common core thread.
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/450673.page#6501389

[Anonymous]

So you want the teachers to not just teach, but also to create their own curriculum? (In their spare time?) 3 million different curricula?

One teacher teaches 3 million things? in 180 days?

Teachers should have many choices within the curriculum and should be fee to tweak it or add to it as they see fit during the school year (based on their students' needs).

[Anonymous]

So you want the teachers to not just teach, but also to create their own curriculum? (In their spare time?) 3 million different curricula?

One teacher teaches 3 million things? in 180 days?

Teachers should have many choices within the curriculum and should be fee to tweak it or add to it as they see fit during the school year (based on their students' needs).

Another thing is that teachers who do chose to be creative and make their own materials should not be forced to use the prepared curriculum. It's not for everyone, but I found that creating my materials made me a lot more thoughtful about how I was going to teach and also the materials aligned better with my strategies. I was teaching a foreign language. They basically gave me a book and ancilliary materials as the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So you want the teachers to not just teach, but also to create their own curriculum? (In their spare time?) 3 million different curricula?

One teacher teaches 3 million things? in 180 days?

Teachers should have many choices within the curriculum and should be fee to tweak it or add to it as they see fit during the school year (based on their students' needs).

No. There are 3 million teachers. 3 million teachers x 1 curriculum per teacher = 3 million curricula.

[Anonymous]

So you want the teachers to not just teach, but also to create their own curriculum? (In their spare time?) 3 million different curricula?

This is the kind of thinking that leads to the overly structured system that we have. Don't be ridiculous. You speak (and think) in extremes. It's either all or nothing for you. Black or white. That's what leads to a lack of innovation and no imagination. You must not have a very creative mind.

[Anonymous]

So you want the teachers to not just teach, but also to create their own curriculum? (In their spare time?) 3 million different curricula?

How about having curriculum available, but letting teachers choose whether to use it in part or in full (and make their own if they so choose)? And what is wrong with 3 million different curricula? It sounds fine to me as long as the curricula is based on the standards, who cares? No two classrooms in America are the same nor should they be (every teacher is different; it's impossible to have two who are the same. Every student is different and every configuration of students is different). What makes America great are our differences. If we are seeking homogeneity in how we do things, we are making a mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So you want the teachers to not just teach, but also to create their own curriculum? (In their spare time?) 3 million different curricula?

This is the kind of thinking that leads to the overly structured system that we have. Don't be ridiculous. You speak (and think) in extremes. It's either all or nothing for you. Black or white. That's what leads to a lack of innovation and no imagination. You must not have a very creative mind.

No, I'm not the one who suggested that every teacher should have to come up with their own curriculum.

[Anonymous]

No, I'm not the one who suggested that every teacher should have to come up with their own curriculum.

I did not say that they "have to". I said that they should be allowed to choose that if the want to. There's a huge difference. They should not be downgraded by their administrators if they choose to use things that work for them. This is called letting the teacher be a professional. The teacher should not be a programmed robot. Those are the worst teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

No, I'm not the one who suggested that every teacher should have to come up with their own curriculum.

I did not say that they "have to". I said that they should be allowed to choose that if the want to. There's a huge difference. They should not be downgraded by their administrators if they choose to use things that work for them. This is called letting the teacher be a professional. The teacher should not be a programmed robot. Those are the worst teachers.

Agreed. What we're seeing though is that in our public school things are "available" but the teacher has to put them all together. Every day. There is no suggested curriculum materials and no printed materials. So the teacher is spending endless hours at the copier. I just think it makes things easier when there is a standard curriculum and teachers are allowed to choose things that work for them if needed. This way they don't have to make copies unless they want to.

[Anonymous]

Agreed. What we're seeing though is that in our public school things are "available" but the teacher has to put them all together. Every day. There is no suggested curriculum materials and no printed materials. So the teacher is spending endless hours at the copier. I just think it makes things easier when there is a standard curriculum and teachers are allowed to choose things that work for them if needed. This way they don't have to make copies unless they want to.

How are things "available", yet there is no suggested curriculum materials? Wouldn't the things that are "available" be the suggested curriculum materials? This sounds odd. What school is this?

And I do know that teachers make photocopies because often there are not enough printed books available for each student. But the teacher is not making the materials, just copying them, right?

I did experience a teacher (with my son) who printed off scads of things that were never used, but just filled up his folder. It was very confusing. In this case, I believe the teacher was not competent in her field (she was not certified for the subject she was teaching) so to compensate she copied everything on any given topic so that she was "covered". It was total overkill and students did not know what to read or do because there was just way too much given out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I did not say that they "have to". I said that they should be allowed to choose that if the want to. There's a huge difference. They should not be downgraded by their administrators if they choose to use things that work for them. This is called letting the teacher be a professional. The teacher should not be a programmed robot. Those are the worst teachers.

Agreed. What we're seeing though is that in our public school things are "available" but the teacher has to put them all together. Every day. There is no suggested curriculum materials and no printed materials. So the teacher is spending endless hours at the copier. I just think it makes things easier when there is a standard curriculum and teachers are allowed to choose things that work for them if needed. This way they don't have to make copies unless they want to.

You are actually arguing AGAINST the first PP's point. The first PP does not want a standardized curriculum.