As A Busy Mom Thinks - Take the Politics Out of Education

Does anyone know when public education became more about politics than in providing quality education to our children? Maybe I'm naive, but shouldn't the children be our first priority?

The issue of Common Core has divided our little town and, as a result, one of the political committees has received some push back from members of the School Committee who are running for re-election. This will probably be one of the most exciting election cycles our town has seen in a while.

Having the privilege to serve on the District Curriculum Advisory Committee, I've learned a great deal since September. Being a member of this committee has been very eye-opening. And while Common Core is definitely a large part of our discussion, our interactions feel very different and more respectful than what I am seeing in other arenas.

Here's praying level heads continue to work for our children.

In the News - Common Core Opponent Wins Local Election

This is how I spent part of my Saturday morning--standing out holding signs at the polls for a local candidate who was running for School Committee.

Patricia Gordon easily secured a seat on the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee. Gordon, a retired teacher at Minnechaug Regional High School, ran as an Independent candidate for one of two open seats in a three-way race.

While I haven't been heavily involved in local politics since 2003, I felt it important to support a candidate who believes every child is a "unique and different person and and needs to be treated as such in the classroom." Gordon believes in a grass roots approach to education, not in federal standards that concerned citizens--myself included--believe squash creativity in the classroom for teachers and students.

Gordon has called Common Core "a rigid technology laden approach to learning, which dictates spending a lot more money on technology improvements, according to the state’s timeline." We're already seeing some of these changes in the classroom when we visit for events. I've also seen what my daughters bring home for homework these days and I can't believe this is a way to make today's children more successful. Here is an example of a math problem posted on 94.7 WMAS Springfield, MA's Facebook page today. Please tell me how we are helping to prepare our children for a brighter future this way?

As Freedomworks contributor Julie Borowski says in her article titled, "Top 10 Reasons to Oppose Common Core," Common Core is bad for teachers, bad for parents, and bad for students.

Congratulations to Pat Gordon for securing a seat on the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee. I pray this means good things for the children, families, and teachers here.

In the News: Common Core

Last year, I used to have a weekly feature titled, WSJ Wednesday, where I would share my thoughts on articles I read in The Wall Street Journal. As the year got busier, my favorite feature fell by the wayside. In 2014, I am reinstating it in a new way. Now on Tuesdays, this will feature commentary on any news item I find of interest. I hope you feel free to engage in respectful discussion over anything you read here on In the News....

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) initiative has become a hot topic. According to the website, the initiative's mission statement is:

The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.

Currently, 45 states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity have adopted the Common Core State Standards.

Opposition to Common Core has come from various sides: parents, educators, opinion writers, organizations, etc. Locally, we have also seen opposition. The "Falcons for Educational Freedom" want to remove the Common Core State Standards initiative in the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District and retain local control over curriculum. A public forum held at the Wilbraham Public Library this month featured Dr. Sandra Stotsky, who is credited with helping to develop those academic standards for K-12 students. According to The Wilbraham-Hampden Times, Stotsky was one of only five members of the former Common Core Validation Committee who didn't sign off to validate the standards.

During this public forum, Stotsky discussed how the Mass. Frameworks were developed "to raise the floor for all students and the Common Core was mainly established to close achievement gaps for struggling students." At this forum, she proposed a three-point strategy that would raise the floor for all students and stress content knowledge in every subject. She also stated higher standards require stronger teachers.

Superintendent of Schools for the Hampden-Wilbraham School District Martin O'Shea says the Frameworks and the Common Core Standards work together to provide students the skills they need for high school graduation. O'Shea claims how teachers teach and the specific content they teach remains a local responsibility.

I have to admit that national standards scare me more than a little. The federal government still can't gather enough intelligence in a timely fashion to protect us from terrorists threats (even after 9/11), as the Boston Marathon Bombing so easily shows. And one thing George Will pointed out in his opinion piece from March 9, 2012 is truly frightening:

We have been warned. Joseph Califano, secretary of health, education and welfare in the Carter administration, noted that “in its most extreme form, national control of curriculum is a form of national control of ideas.”

Might sound ridiculous now, but we have legislators out there trying to ban us from drinking 32 ounces of soda or ingesting foods with trans fats. Is it too much of a stretch to believe in 25 years they will want to control our minds, too?