“Under Common Core, students are encouraged to do more critical thinking. It’s no longer good enough for students to recall facts and figures, but they have to demonstrate why things work the way they do.”
This is an excerpt from a Fox News Article about the uproar over the new Common Core that the current administration is trying to implement. There have been some complaints that some schools and students are not measuring up to these standardized tests that appraise the level of both. These complaints come from parents who were under the impression that their kids were in quality schools and doing well. There are also complaints from teachers that say their hands are tied in curriculum so how can they get these kids on level?
It’s kind of ironic when you think about this. I lived through the times I am about to discuss so this is not hearsay.
When I was a kid in Atkins Elementary School, you sat in the classroom and listened, did your homework and hope you passed the tests. If you did so satisfactorily, you passed. If not, you failed (boy, now there is an ugly word). If you failed, you repeated the grade.
In the late sixties, forced integration of the schools took place. Now this is not going to be a racist rant but it cannot be denied that it had a negative impact. Not because black and white were in class together but because the schools had to dumb down their expectations. It was deemed that the blacks going into the white schools were not on level so instead of bringing them up to that level, the level was lowered. During my time at Linwood Jr High, advanced classes were done away with and a “phase” system was instituted. If you were Phase 4, you could not get below a C grade and you could not fail.
Follow this with years of making sure everyone passes and feels good about themselves, that everyone is equal and making sure the curriculum is not too hard for anyone, it is no wonder America has fallen so far down the World list in Math and Science proficiency.
Now, the government wants to fix the problem. This is the problem they created. And they are doing this by wanting our kids to be more free thinkers after most of their academic life they have not had to think. Oh, but it is not the kids fault or the government. Let’s be clear. Do you think the government is going to step up and own any of the problems they caused? No. It is the failure of our teachers and the schools.
The government could really help fix this if they would stay the hell out of it. Give the job of teaching back to the schools and teachers and let them do their job. Even if it means that some kids will have to fail. A high school diploma should be more than an attendance certificate.