Core Curriculum vs. Common Core: How Would You Like Your Child to be Taught

"Core Curriculum"

Our schools follow the "Core Curriculum" standards, a textbook, standardized means of teaching. The "Core Curriculum" ensures that students learn material in accordance with their age or grade level. The "Core Curriculum" is eclectic, honing in on particular age groups and focusing standardized tests accordingly. Standards are set high for children, tests made difficult to an agreed upon degree, and some don't believe this is a positive. The Core Curriculum State Standards, instead of utilizing real input from parents or teachers with practical, hands-on experience, develops its standards from big corporations and government!

 

What is this about? You tell me. How do large corporations and government benefit from creating Core Curriculum standards, or, in other words, what our children are being taught? I'm not quite sure. But I can say one thing for certain: it rubs me entirely the wrong way. Large corporations (say, McDonalds) definitely benefit from a dumbed down population with little knowledge of nutritional value and the intellectual weight it deserves in America's over-eating attitude. Government could also benefit from a docile generation, taught not to question, to stray from creativity and gear toward more logical learning and thinking. How so? We won't question their legislation when they jeopardize our constitutional rights. I may sound cynical, but I'm merely voicing how many feel about this.

 

There are positives to this ever-changing "Core Curriculum" our children experience in and out of school. It evens out the playing field by raising expectations for all students, promotes critical thinking, and is increasingly progressive in its focus on collaborative and reflective learning. The fact that no two curricula are the same is definitely a positive. Every district has their demographic differences and it's important that we tailor our "way of teaching" to them, but I don't believe "what is taught" should differ: this creates a gap between demographics, a social stratification if you will which only perpetuates this status quo. If teaching a lesson to a monkey, penguin, elephant, goldfish, seal and a wolf is telling them to climb the same tree (standardized test) we're clearly doing something wrong.

"Common Core Curriculum"

On the other hand, we have the "Common Core Curriculum," developed its standards via an accumulation of input by state leaders, teachers, parents, school administrators, and experts across the country. These standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn. These standards are actually designed to be relevant to the real world, teaching kids what it takes to get into an established college, to find work, to be professional members of our future society. They teach skills necessary for a successful career, as opposed to merely having kids memorize and regurgitate a plethora of information (many times entirely irrelevant to the real world they're being "prepared" for) on a standardized test that stamps an IQ on their forehead (resume/CV). We pay a serious amount to have our children properly prepared for the future, yet academia has yet to take on this sort of platform: one that actually prepares students for future career prospects.

 

On the other hand, the "Common Core Curriculum" doesn't focus individually on demographics. Both affluent schools and schools in less-privileged areas teach the same curricula, evening out the playing field. Personally, I believe this at least prevents a perpetual social stratification, unlike the "Core Curriculum" our state strongly adheres to. Everyone should have the same opportunities. That is what our Founding Fathers wanted for us, and it's simply not there. Social stratification may always be present, but any chance we have to abridge the gaps between demographics, we as a society should make the choice to take. Again, this is my opinion, and many hold exactly the opposite opinion. It's very complicated, convoluted, confusing, but it's present and we can no longer look away. As parents especially, let's take control of how our children are being "prepared" for the real world. As individuals, we're weaklings. But as a growing group of intellects, we have the chance to get what we want. Core Curriculum vs. Common Core...which would YOU prefer your child follow.

New to Motherhood? Read along, and get along...

This is for all the young Moms and Dads out there, stay-at-home or hard-working, whose main goal in life is to do everything in their power to make their child happy and healthy.
We praise you.

Raising a child can be difficult, confusing, sometimes frustrating, but never less than a dream come true. I know a lot of young mothers whose lives changed the moment they laid eyes on their newborn. What else in the world is more gratifying than creating life?

It all starts with expectations. Maybe he'll be a doctor! Maybe she'll be a dancer! Maybe he'll be a straight-A student! What if she becomes famous?!

These grand expectations seem to diminish as your child ages, learns to communicate, learns to make others smile, and you realize that your child, no matter where they end up, is the most important part of your life. And that's all that matters. You look into their eyes and you see yourself. You realize your child is a fragment of you, multiplying as the years pass, becoming more and more like you. They laugh like you, smile like you, argue like you...just when you thought the mind boggling was over. Nope. Each and every day, your child continues to amaze you.

At first, it's your job to keep your child out of the harsh reality that this world can sometimes prove to be. You try your hardest to shelter them, wanting nothing more than to simply keep them safe. Then, you realize, the only way to foster them is to reel them out into the world (but you keep a tight rope). The best way to diminish this worry is to make sure your child knows that YOU are their confidant. If they do something wrong, don't simply punish them. A depth of psychological research highly suggests that punishment has a weak affect on children in comparison to reward. Only extreme circumstances should call for punishment. The more you punish your child, the more they will look to you as their authoritative figure as opposed to their confidant. Think about it. What will happen when they grow up, and the world throws them into treacherous waters over their head. Wouldn't you want them to come to you for advice, as opposed to fearing your response?

So, reward your young cherub. And when they are disobedient, it's probably because they're learning not to be (unless it's a recurring act, in which case, perhaps take away a "reward" of theirs). Tell them exactly why you shun their disobedience. It's best to establish a healthy rapport with your child, at an early age, that displays you as both a confidant and an authoritative figure. Your child will need your guidance throughout life. They'll graduate college and still need your seasoned advice (sorry for dropping the C word). So, you want them to be able to come to you, so YOU can protect them, even when you've lost grip of that tight rope.

Take your life experience, and apply it to theirs. They will experience similar emotional rollercoasters throughout life. Just remember the way you took on your youth. Were you successful? Evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses, and slowly but surely, learn to highlight your child's strengths and minimize their weaknesses. And remember, raising children, although the most rewarding feeling in the world, can be extremely difficult. There is no shame in asking others for help. There is also no shame whatsoever in seeking professional help in raising your little one. You want the best for them, right?

So, what's the motif for this particular post. Be your child's friend, not just their parent. You'll find that later in their lives, they turn to you for guidance, and that's exactly what you'll want. Be the mother you want to be, and don't let them or your stressful dayjob stray you in any other way.

Suffolk Speech applauds all the young mothers and fathers out there. You've got the hardest, most rewarding job in the world, and it will always be that way. You're molding the future, and that's a hefty job.

Written by: Tim Strampfer