My daughter started first grade about three weeks ago, and I can say in just that short amount of time I have come to despise Common Core.<\/p>\n
I never liked it to begin with \u2013 school districts and teachers should not be told what and how to teach by socialist dictators in Washington D.C. But beyond the local control angle, Common Core is just a horrible, horrible way to teach kids.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s my story.<\/p>\n
I am a work-at-home mom and parent volunteer inside the classroom. When I volunteered in my daughter\u2019s kindergarten classroom last year, I bit my tongue when I was told to call vowels \u201cstars\u201d and not to help students sound words out.<\/p>\n
Now, three weeks into first grade, and it\u2019s the same thing.<\/p>\n
Sight words \u2013 that is how they are teaching kids to read now. By memorizing sight words.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need to know them quick as a snap, not sound them out,\u201d my daughter\u2019s friendly, smart and dedicated teacher told me on how to go over the sight words with students.<\/p>\n
So, instead of teaching kids how to sound words out, and instead of breaking words into clumps, let\u2019s say: the, then, them, they; it, is, in, if; at, an, all, call \u2013 you know \u2013 the way it makes sense logically<\/em> \u2013 they just give kids and parents a big, long list of words in no particular order or organization and tell them to have their children memorize them.<\/p>\n I\u2019m fine with a few sight words, but when it\u2019s the main method of learning to read \u2013 instead of phonics \u2013 that\u2019s when I get angry. So, at night, I\u2019m frantically teaching my daughter to read by sounding words out, knowing she doesn\u2019t get this emphasis at school and trying to counteract this craziness.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s move on to math.<\/p>\n When I was growing up, first we memorized basic addition, then subtraction, then multiplication, and so on. I remember getting these handouts with essentially 100 math problems on them \u2013 1+2, 4+6, 7+8, 3+4 \u2013 problems like that. And we\u2019d solve them, over and over again, until it became second nature.<\/p>\n But no, Common Core gets all philosophical with math. My daughter is bringing home worksheets that don\u2019t even SAY THE WORDS addition and subtraction on them. There\u2019s just abstract diagrams and barely comprehendible word problems and I\u2019m like \u2013 can you JUST teach my daughter arithmetic?!<\/em><\/p>\n There was an awesome article<\/a> in the Daily Caller<\/em> this week that totally encapsulated my frustration. It\u2019s about the new way to add 9 + 6 under Common Core:<\/p>\n \u201cWith the Common Core, students need to understand why\u201d 9 + 6 equals 15 \u2026 Fourth-grade teacher Eileen Klag Ryan then demonstrates the Common Core way to add 9 + 6. This Common Core method takes nearly a minute.<\/p>\n \u201cOur young learners might not be altogether comfortable thinking about what 9 + 6 is,\u201d Ryan relates. \u201cThey are quite comfortable thinking about their friend, 10.\u201d<\/p>\n The novel addition method emphasizes 10 for younger students \u201cas we\u2019re working in \u2018Base 10 System.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo if we can partner 9 to a number and anchor 10, we can help our students see what 9 + 6 is.\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWe know 6 is made up of parts,\u201d she instructs. \u201cOne of its parts is a 1 and the other part is a 5.\u201d<\/p>\n Then, things get super-complex.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re now going to anchor our 9 to a 1, allowing our students to anchor to that 10\u2033 Ryan says, while drawing a big, oblong circle around the 9 and the 1.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow our students are seeing that we have 10 + 5,\u201d she declares confidently. She stutters a bit and adds, \u201cHaving, uh, now more comfort seeing that 10 + 5 is 15. That\u2019s much more comfortable than looking at 9 + 6.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Do you see what I am talking about? How is this better? How does this make any sense whatsoever?<\/p>\n Fox News<\/em> host Greg Gutfeld recently proclaimed<\/a> that Common Core is \u201cmaking the lives of kids and their parents hell” and called it “another government experiment sinking under its unbearable complexities.\u201d<\/p>\n Thank you,\u00a0Greg \u2013 I am one of those parents. You\u2019re right.<\/p>\n And NOW comes word that a Common Core validation committee member had admitted<\/a>: \u201cIt was pretty clear from the start that nobody thought there was sufficient evidence for any of the standards.\u201d<\/p>\n The Washington Free Beacon<\/em> goes on to report<\/a> that \u201ctwo UC Santa Barbara professors \u2026argued in a 2013 paper that Common Core\u2019s producers were well aware of their research\u2019s shortcomings: \u2018They chose to downplay them because they would complicate the agenda at a time when a policy window was opening but might not be open for long.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile the Daily Caller<\/em> points out that \u201cearlier this month, Canada\u2019s National Post reported that a group of neuroscientists has issued a study finding that rote memorization of discrete math facts plays a critical role in mathematical development in young children.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn short, the study found, memorizing multiplication tables and answers to basic arithmetic problems is cognitively vital because, without such memorization, children will have a much harder time later on with complex math problems,\u201d the Caller<\/em> reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n And finally \u2013 I will end on this but could really go on with many more complaints and studies \u2013 Common Core\u2019s emphasis on nonfiction over fiction is a direct assault on kids\u2019 imaginations and creativity. Yes, did you know that Common Core has totally de-emphasized\u00a0fiction reading books? All the books I was going over with the kids in the classroom this week were nonfiction-based. And it\u2019s pretty sad.<\/p>\n I am not knocking nonfiction, but give the kids something they can get excited about reading if you want them to learn to read, and don\u2019t stifle their imaginations while you\u2019re at it.<\/p>\n Abolish Common Core!<\/p>\n Jennifer Kabbany is editor of The College Fix ( Follow Jenn on Twitter: @JenniferKabbany<\/a> )<\/em><\/p>\n Like\u00a0The College Fix<\/em>\u00a0on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0<\/span>Follow us on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n