Reflections on the Common Core

As a high school teacher, I find myself increasingly turning to the Common Core to determine which lesson I should teach next. In fact, it is so important that I teach to the Core that I have been given a huge book that breaks down standards one by one. 

As I was completing an assignment for my class on teaching English/Language Arts using the  Core, I found myself reflecting on my feelings of this new standard and standardized testing in general. Most of the teachers, and even some parents hate the Core and standardized testing. It is expected for me to oppose them as well, because I am a teacher and therefore they must be hindering my creativity and ability to teach. But to the contrary, the more I read and attempt to understand these standards, the more useful they become to me. I know, I was shocked too. 

Don't get me wrong, by implementing a Common Core, the United States has  NOT standardized education. They haven't even necessarily improved education yet. The Core doesn't provide exceptions for kids with disabilities or kids considering an alternative career path. It is designed to get students ready for college and that's pretty much it. However, teachers can use these standards to guide their instruction for other students who may not fit into the target group. I like that. I think teachers need something to guide them. A goal to strive for, if you will. Otherwise my classes would be much easier moved to a tangent, and nobody learns that way. 

The real problem with the Core lies in how it is evaluated. Standardized testing, while easy to do, is not a successful measurement of student achievement. For example, I have a 12th grade student reading on a sixth grade level. With specialized instruction and accommodations and one on one time, this student is able to operate academically on an eighth grade level.  When tested, he receives the same questions as his peers who are at or above grade level. True, he may receive accommodations but that doesn't put him at 12th grade. So he is considered a failure, when in reality he is much more successful than last year. I'm sure thousands of teachers have stories like this and could back me up. It's sad, but what can I do?

My first year of college, as I started my classes and got ready for my career, I thought I'd be the teacher that changed the world. That my friends and I could ban together and make a Big Difference in education. I thought that I'd be a name worth remembering. And now, in my own classroom, I still want that. I want things to change so that my students are never left behind. So they don't feel dumb, and they aren't told they can't do something. But I don't even know if it's possible anymore. People hate change. People hate being told how to improve. People will fight academics tooth and nail for the rest of forever. So instead of changing the world, I will change my classroom. I won't leave my struggling students behind. I'll use the core to guide my instruction. What I want from everyone else is to support me. Support your teachers, your schools, your students. Recognize and appreciate and reward the little changes that are being made. 

Always remember, big changes have little beginnings.