Conversations on the Common Core

Tonight, my husband remarked on something he read on a Facebook post about the Common Core when my daughter was explaining her math homework. She blurted out, “It isn’t Common Core. It is practice!”

“How apropos,” I said to myself. This perspective is exactly what I needed to support my theory that the undercurrent and the overt propaganda flooding social media about the Common Core really has nothing to do with students. My 10-year-old 5th grader loves math, learns a great deal from her teacher’s instruction and from the materials the school uses to convey the 5th grade math concepts. She sees her day-to-day work in school as practicing, demonstrating what she has learned, accepting new challenges in her subjects. She doesn’t see negativity, injustice, or conspiracy.  The fuss and confusion often lies with those who don’t spend their days in schools, unlike the children and teaching and support staff who are learning and growing in many, many ways.

So, what can be learned from this exchange between father and daughter? There are four key take aways for me as a mother and educator.