Common Core isn't the devil

I am so sick of people bashing Common Core. Most of the time, people don't even know what they are talking about. They just "heard" that Common Core is "bad", so they jump on that bandwagon. It's reminds me of how people thought the New Orleans Saints were a horrible team, then they won the Super Bowl and everyone became a Saints fan.  Well, I was a Saints fan since birth, and through good times and bad, I'll always e a Saints fan! (Thanks Dad!)

Here are some common misconceptions about Common Core:

1. "These new standards are ridiculous." : Well, I hate to tell you think but these are not "new" standards. Every state has had standards for years.  They just called them something different in each state. In Louisiana, they were called GLEs ( Grade Level Expectations) The new part is when governors got together and assembled a group of people to say what students should know at the different grade levels to be successful in the next.  This group started with the end in mind. They said for a graduating high school senior to be prepared for college they have to know this....  Then said, for that senior to be prepared, during his junior year he needs to know this..... And on and on, they did this all the way to kindergarteners. Each year, preparing them for that next step.

2. "The Common Core dumbs down education" : Quite the contrary. The CC MAKES students think deeper into problems.  Instead of saying, this is how you multiply, 5 x 5 = 25, it shows when you add 5 groups 5 times you can get 25, show me. The student would then make 5 group with 5 dots in each group and the student would count all the dots. The student will discover for himself that this will work ALL THE TIME. But instead of just telling them, we have students discover the result themselves. Hence, making their learning a discovery, rather than a procedure. This will enable students to have students take part in their learning and allows them a deeper sense of WHAT they are learning. 

3. "Common Core makes students jump through hoops to find a simple answer." This is probably the biggest misconception.  NO WHERE in the CCSS does it say, HOW students are to learn these standards.

 Here is proof of that statement: http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Practice/
 

You can then go to each grade level and see what students should learn for a particular grade level. 

Here is proof of that statement: http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/4/NBT/ 

I just chose one element of a fourth grade standard. You can pick and choose what standard & grade level you would like to explore.

Now, that you have had an exploration, (hopefully) did you find ONE PLACE where it told you HOW to work a problem..... NO, YOU DIDN'T!!! And there lies the problem.  So what is all the fuss about? What happened was that from this blue print, of WHAT we need to teach, those writing CURRICULUM made "the plans" for HOW the standards are taught. When writing the plans, curriculum writers made choices on how to teach this curriculum.  THIS IS WHERE PARENTS ARE FINDING MATERIAL FOR THEIR ARGUMENTS!!!!!! It is not the standards that they have concerns with, it is the IMPLEMENTATION of the standards. But parents don't realize that this is NOT a state mandate, curriculum is chosen by individual school districts and in some cases, individual schools choose what curriculum they will teach, what textbooks they will use and what program they will follow. But again, this is not the blue print! 

Look at it this way: If you and I were given the task of building a house, we would need a "blue print" to determine what the house will look like. But how you build the house, and how I build the house will be different based on how we PLAN to build.  You may use straw. I may use bricks. But the outcome (hopefully) will be the same. We will ultimately build the same house. Now, think about this in the terms of curriculum. We both delivered the same result (preparation for college), but whose house will resist the blow of the BIG BAD WOLF? My bricks will give you a firmer foundation (how students are taught) that won't falter, when I get into college. 

Things Overheard in the Classroom

Here are a few memories of past classrooms that still keep me and my colleagues laughing to this day. Some, I guess you just had to be there. Some, you won't believe. Some, may have you laughing so hard you pee in your pants. In any case, I hope you will enjoy ALL!

• Student walking down the hallway first thing in the mornng, nibbling on something that I can't quite make out:

Me: "Princess, what are you eating?"

Student: "Ribs!"

Me: pointing behind her "Go to the bathroom and throw that away! That is inappropriate to bring into my classroom!"

Student: "Aw, man Ms. Guidry, dis my breakfast! I didn't have time to eat it in the car!"

Me: "That is an inappropriate breakfast for school. You want breakfast? Go down to the cafeteria and each a nutrious breakfast! You are not going to sit at your desk and eat RIBS IN MY CLASSROOM!! Now, go to the bathroom and wash your hands."

Student: reluctantly "Yes ma'am."

A little later in the day, a fellow colleague (after I relayed the story) asked the student what she had for breakfast this morning.

The student nonchalantly replied, "Ribs! You want some? I still have some in my jacket pocket?"

• When learning new spelling words for the week, I always make students either write a sentence to show they understand the meaning of the word. One student, who was older than his classmates due to failing twice, thought he was the bees knees. You know, the kind of "bad boy" that all the girls like. Anyway, as we were going around the room reading our spelling sentences, this students' hand flies in the air to share his sentence.

Me: "Ok, next word. Optical, who can give me a sentence with the word, optical?"

Student: "Ooo, ooo Ms. Guidry, I got this! I got this!"

Surprised, but happy that the sometime troublemaker was on task, had completed his homework and wanted to participate (small victories, people. Small victories) I called on him for the answer.

Me: "Ok, The Man, give me what you got?"

Smiling from ear to ear, as proud as he could be, he replied: "My optical nerve looks good."

• As I am walking around the class checking homework assignments, I come upon one student who is "looking" for his homework. I can tell (teachers just know this stuff) that he had not done the assignment.

Me: "T, do you have your homework?"

Student, looking up from his bookbag: "I can't find it."

Me, knowing a good lie when I hear one: "T, don't lie to me? Do you have your homework?"

Student: shaking his head.

Me: "Why don't you have your homework?"

Student: "I didn't have time to do it."

Me, giving enough rope for him to hang: "T, what time did you get home yesterday?"

Student: "Like 4:00."

Me: "Uh huh, and what time did you go to bed?"

Student: "Like 9:00."

Me: "So 9 - 4 is 5. Are you telling me that in 5 hours, you couldn't do your homework?"

Student: "No, because we had tacos."

Ok, so now I am not sure where this is going, so I HAVE to ask:

"What does having tacos for dinner have to do with you not having your homework?"

Student: "Cause the tomatos were behind the meat and it took a long time to fix my plate."

At this point, I didn't see any need to continue the conversation.

• At recess, a student comes up to me:

Student: "Ms. Guidry, do you like dogs or kittens?"

Me: "I don't have a dog or a cat, babe. Ms. Guidry can't even take care of herself."

Student: "No, you have to choose one. Dogs or Kittens?"

Me: "Ok, If I HAVE to choose, I guess I'll say dogs."

Student: "No, you have to choose kittens because you are a girl and girls go with kittens, and boys go with dogs. So you have to choose kittens."

Me: "Ok, kittens."

Student: "Good choice." as he runs away to go play with the others. Leaving me thinking, was there really a need for me to BE in that conversation?

• A student comes to my classroom sent by another teacher:

Student: "Ms. Guidry, do you have some ex-lax for my back?"

Me: "Some what for your back?"

Student: "Ex-Lax."

Me: "Baby, you don't take ex-lax for your back. You take ex-lax when you have too much gas in your stomach."

Student: "I know, but mine is in my back."

Ok, then.

• I have been teaching at a low-socioeconomic school going on 5 years now. All of my students have been african-american, with the exception of maybe 2 in 5 years. We often get into discussions about race relations and how we are sterotyped based on the color of our skin. During my first year, we were having a discussion about how people in the neighborhood view "outsiders":

Student: "Ms. Guidry, I'll be straight up. People in my neighborhood don't like white people."

Me: "Really? Why's that?"

Student: "I don't know. That's just how they be."

Me: "So you're telling me that if I came into your neighborhood, people wouldn't like me."

Student: "Nah, Ms. Guidry, they'll like you."

Me: "Well, I'm white and you just said that people in your neighborhood don't like white people. So...."

Student: "Yeah, but you just white on the outside. You really black on the inside."

Me: (thinking) "Ok, so I won't have any problems coming to your house. Even though I'm white and people will SEE me as white."

Student: "But if you come down my sckreet, you'd be scraight, 'cause you really black and you wit me. I'll tell'em."

Ah, if only race relations and equality would be as simple as a fourth grader, that we all could just "tell'em the color on the inside".

• Many students have learned that SOME teachers are afraid when parents get involved. Students often take advantage of the teacher, especially first year teachers, with a simple saying of : "I'm gonna tell my momma!"

But that DOESN'T work for me, Ms. Guidry. As many of my students say, "Ms. Guidry don't play like dat!"

However, students don't get to me till the fourth grade, and often times I find myself "meeting" with younger children in the hall, or common areas and they have not learned about Ms. Guidry yet!

This happened once with a second grader, who was having an argument in the hallway with another student. I came between the arugment to help solve the "beef" that the children were in the middle of. At this time, one of the second graders began shouting obcenitites at me. So, in true teacher fashion, I gave approproate grade level consequences and separated him from the group in a "time out" fashion, if you will.

Immediately, the mean-spirited second grader yelled out, "I'ma tell my momma you punished me. That ain't fair, cause you ain't my teacher!" This was definitely a challenge to me, to which other teachers have often folded. Except this challenge was going to be different.

As a smrik came over my face, I squatted down looking the student eye to eye, and replied in a very soft gentle voice, "Good! Tell yo mamma to call me. Would like like my number? Or she could call school and ask for Ms. Guidry. Would you like me to write that down for you? Because I WANT to talk to your mother and tell her about your nasty attitude and how disrespectful you are to your classmates and to other adults."

The student became really quiet. And I stood up and walked away.

I don't know if it was my demeanor or the voice I spoke in, or the challenge that I put to this student. But I never heard from the student's mother, and for the rest of the year, everytime I saw this student again he would wave and say, "Hey Ms. Guidry!" This was usually concluded with a hug.

Teachable moment? Done and Done!