Common Core

Okay, so we've been pretty mum about Common Core thus far.  Because it hasn't really hit us yet.  We pay attention to most of Madison's homework, because as parents, we want to help her the best we can.  So we've heard the buzz about Common Core, and none of it was really that good.  The concept of making all the educational standards nationwide the same is admirable, but look at this for a moment:

Why does Madison have to go around the world in order to figure out what 29 + 49 is?  We had a bunch of folks over at the house today, people of all ages.  About ten of them looked at this, ranging in age from 16 to 57, and we all agree:  Common Core lacks Common Sense.

Why not just stack the numbers one upon the other, and carry the one, or whatever it is that we've been doing for thousands of years?  Why do we have do draw a line graph, or a number chart, or round off anything in order to find a simple sum?

With English, Madison memorizes how to spell words like 'knight.'  But we don't have to go around the world to explain why the 'k' and 'gh' are silent.  We just memorize it and spell it.  We know in certain cases that the 'k' is silent, and from that point on, it's just a matter of memorizing those instances.

So why all this extra work just to do basic math?  Everyone knows that 1 + 1 = 2.  Do we need to make a graph to explain that?  Just do it.  What is the purpose of adding all this extra work to find out an answer that can be found so easily?

Here in Georgia, there was a primary last summer to determine who would run for State School Superintendent.  We voted for Nancy Jester to begin with, but she didn't make the cut for the run-off.  But then with the run-off, we had a clear difference:  a guy who was for Common Core, versus a guy who was against it.  The one who was against it won by 1%, showcasing how little people in general pay attention.

And he won easily on Tuesday night, although again people in general aren't so much aware of this issue, as they are Republican versus Democrat.  Yet to us, this was as important a race as the US Senate, or Georgia Governor.

Again, we're not against a standard.  But based on our informal ten-person poll yesterday, we are all generally against ever seeing a sheet of paper like this again.  It honestly grieves me, because it is in my eyes a waste of time.  Madison does drills to add and subtract larger numbers, and she's doing well.  Why add to her burden, by having her explain in several different ways why 24 + 24 = 48?

It's not a political issue for us.  It's just common sense.

Getting off the soapbox, today was a good day for Madison.  We did our piano practice, our homework, and we even watched a bit of Wallace and Gromit.  Madison wrote a couple papers on what she would do if she were Governor.  She would work to protect children from harm, she said.  That's a platform worth fighting for, and perhaps even tied to the soapbox above!