It is a question that gets asked often it seems, “What do you think about Common Core?”
You might be expecting this post to be a diatribe of disdain for the government sticking it’s nose in education. That is certainly what you most likely would get from a Fundamentalist Conservative homeschooling parent. I however remember well that the government, in hand with our capitalist leaders, are the ones that started public schooling in our great nation in 1851.
Kids got marched to school at Gun Point!
Massachusetts (The state I was born in) was the first state in the country to require all students to go to school. This was in large part to create a malleable workforce that would be obedient and not go on strike. Cape Cod families where the last to succumb, children where marched to school by government officials with guns. Look it up people!
So is Common Core so over the top?
I am all for standards across the country as it can be specially hard for military kids who move and every place is doing different things and they end up with big gaps in their education. (Thus one of the big reasons we homeschool!) Colleges can’t count that high school kids from one state are at the same level as those from another. I like that CC doesn’t tell teachers how to teach, but what to cover. I do not however agree with the fact that it was more political and commercially put together than educationally put together. I think they are pushing to test and pushing too young. I am trying to keep an open mind about it over all. If I am wrong about anything let me know. I try to remind myself I could always be wrong and I do love to learn so speak up!
So is Common Core the devils playground?
Well I am a secular homeschooler and I don’t believe in the devil but I do really have an issue with how capitalism is invading all parts of our lives. Even prisons are being run for profit now. I know there are teachers who support common core and teachers who don’t. I do know that there are some outrageous viral posts about horrible worksheets that are supposed to be common core aligned. Really those though where made by teachers, not by the Common Core gods, and they are not actually the failure of common core or the common cores effort to bring kids to the dark side. (Though I hear they have cookies!)
One of the great things about homeschooling, our reason #115 why we homeschool, is that our kids are not stuck in the middle of this debate. We keep homeschooling and doing out thing without our kids being the guinea pigs or having to battle school boards. Sure the topic comes up on homeschooling sites, and a lot of people have passion for it, but thankfully I am not stuck in a small room having to listen to the crazy ones, I can just leave the conversation thread, no one the wiser!
