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God bless our teachers! But I am beginning to think that administrators and creators of curriculum are emissaries of evil. They may think they are doing the right thing, but then again I wonder how thorough and rational that thinking is. Or maybe it's just another part of a bigger conspiracy to control the world population.
Schools are either now back in session or will be soon. There is an increasing amount of buzz over a new curriculum being instituted in schools across the country. Common Core is the bane of many teachers who are having to relearn how and what they teach. Sure, there are some who come to the defense of Common Core, but I am hearing increasingly negative reports as more teachers are introduced to the program.
When I initially heard about Common Core I had my usual suspicions, but didn't give it too much thought. Then I began to hear some odd reports about the program. I began doing some research on the internet. What I found left me incredulous. If you're not familiar with Common Core do the research for yourself. This is especially important if you have children or grandchildren in a school system where the program has been or is going to be added.
I still don't know too much about Common Core so that's why this is my topic for today. Maybe some of you can enlighten us about the Common Core program. To me something smells fishy. Now I'm tossing out the bait to see if anyone will bite.
You can find many videos on YouTube about Common Core, pro and con. The following excellent video was brought to my attention at the site Old Virginia Blog. I think the indoctrination they suggest sounds very suspicious and creepy. This is the stuff of speculative or science fiction. The video here concerns first and third grade. What I've seen about middle school and high school text books is outrageous and highly disturbing.
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Do you keep up with what your kids learn in school? Are you familiar with Common Core? What do you think is the intent of the federal government regarding education?
Since I don't have kids, I don't know much about Common Core.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the intent of the government? Control.
Common Core was introduced here last year. My then 7th grader had a good year with it. I believe one of the main goals is to have some consistency in teaching since we are now such a transient society. For example, what my kids learn here in NC and what my sisters kids learn in MS are not necessarily on the same level (of course neither of us as states are very high on the ladder of success if you look at education ranking). While I have my concerns about government "control", as a kid who moved around a lot, often mid year and between states, some consistency of curriculum would have been nice. So far, I have no problem with Common Core.
ReplyDeleteThat was a bit much. Don't have young kids in school but that was frightening. If the point was to teach creative writing - maybe. Guess I need to do a bit more research - I've never heard of Common Core.
ReplyDeleteI've never even heard of Common Core.
ReplyDeleteLike Ales, no kids. And I have no idea what C.C. is.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info. I don't know why anyone is still questioning if our kids are being indoctrinated with an agenda that parents aren't aware of. Manipulation is everywhere, the media, schools, especially universities, and even commercials. But Americans are becoming a nation of lemmings. Eventually there'll be the cliff and it will be too late.
ReplyDeleteOh my. I'm happy I don't have to worry about this in Canada. I find it rather disturbing and would definitely be interested in learning more about who (what group of people and their political background)came up with this concept. I fear for your children. Visions of a sci-fi movie come to mind where children are "conditioned" to think and behave a certain way. I'm afraid to think what might be next.
ReplyDeleteAlex -- This program appears to be geared toward social engineering--the shaping of those who will control the populace in the future.
ReplyDeleteSheila -- I moved around a lot when I was a kid in the 50's and 60's and there always seemed to be a consistency in the learning curriculum. Now I think there is an attempt to have consistency with a different end result in mind. I can see plus sides in Common Core, but I'm sensing something more nefarious in the underworkings.
Yolanda -- In the examples given there is a lot of good advice for creative writers. I'm just wondering about the emphasis on political activism for first graders.
L.Diane -- I think we'll be hearing a lot more of Common Core in the upcoming year.
Sheena-Kay -- Kids or not this will effect our entire society if it continues the way it is.
Em- The social agenda mind manipulation began in college. Now those grads are going on to shape new programs for the K-12 grades.
Wendy -- Actually you may need to be concerned about this in Canada. The process may be a world wide trend. I've discovered some peculiar influences on what has developed Common Core.
Lee
I know all about it because I used to work in elementary and middle grade textbook production. Part of my job? State-specific annotations in the teachers' editions of the textbooks, workbooks, etc. I was constantly astounded at what I was seeing going into (and taken out of) these books . . .
ReplyDelete~M
PepperWords
This will help them to become effective community organizers.
ReplyDeleteI read Michelle Malkin's blog off and on and she has long criticized Common Core and Jeb Bush for promoting it. (That would be the same Jeb Bush that many speculate Karl Rove is going to push as the Republican nominee in the 2016 election.) Let's be clear on this: Jeb Bush's Common Core is as bad for the country as Obama's Affordable Health Care Act, if not worse. It is indoctrinating our kids into thinking like community organizers from the time they enroll in school. It teaches them not to learn based on logic, but on feelings. In the Common Core Math Curriculum each student has to keep a journal detailing how THEY FEEL ABOUT MATH. You read that right. That journal will account for a large portion of their grade. In other math news, if they get an answer "wrong"... like they say that 2+2=5, it is only wrong if they can't explain how they came to that conclusion. If they can use feeling words to justify their answer... than the answer is correct. So, in math now 2+2 can equal 5 or 6 or 7, so long as the student can explain with the appropriate feeling words how they got there. There are no "wrong" answers any longer... if you can bullshit your way out of them. Pardon my language and irritation.
ReplyDeleteSo many people think that they dumbing down of our kids is an accident. It isn't. People need to wise up. This is purposeful. Common Core is part of a well hatched plan to replace logic with feelings, because people who can't reason their way out of a barrel, but can be manipulated with feeling words, are so much easier to control.
This is from an article on Bush and Common Core:
Over the past three years, Bush has also been the most prominent Republican supporter of the Common Core standards, which 45 states and D.C. have adopted. As Bush told the American Legislative Exchange Council last week, “I can’t accept . . . the dumbed-down standards and expectations that exist in almost all of our schools today.” Created under the auspices of the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, and assisted by copious funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and enthusiastic support from the Obama administration, the standards (and accompanying tests) are intended to set a higher bar while making it easier to compare performance across schools, districts, and states.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/355810/common-core-could-be-jeb-bushs-romneycare-frederick-m-hess
Bush is in bed with the Obama Administration to bring this program nationwide. If people are so stupid to elect him as the Republican nominee they might as well elect Obama again. Same Boss, Different Face. Evil wears many masks.
I haven't seen anything significantly different in it than in anything else being taught.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yeah, since I'm at my kids' school a lot, I'm pretty up on what they're being taught, which is not quite the normal stuff since it's a charter school.
The thought of indoctrination at schools absolutely horrifies me. Happened in Germany and in South Africa, and does so much damage...
ReplyDeleteLee-
ReplyDeleteThe current issue of The New American features this on their cover story, and I have just started the article....however, Robin nails what I have read so far-this is BAD for our country.
Since we have such highly educated leadership, why would they pursue this?
Does not seem accidental to me...
Anyone who still trusts our government, or still believes that either party is better than the other is simply misguided.
LC
One other thought....for all the no kids people (I am one)...today's kids are the people you will be counting on to have jobs and fund your social security benefits....
ReplyDeleteSo this is important to you (unless you're one of the 20% of Americans who actually have saved for retirement...
LC
M -- Parents need to start checking out the textbooks and voicing their opinions at school board meetings when they find things of dubious value.
ReplyDeleteSusan K -- This sounds like a familiar line of thinking.
Robin -- I've talked about feelings versus rational thinking in past blog posts. I think this trend is what's going to destroy this country as we are led down a demonic rabbit hole to hell. I heard the other day that the Common Core concepts started with No Child Left Behind and now is heartily endorsed by the Obama administration and others. You've told it like I've been hearing it.
Andrew -- That lack of difference may because more recent curriculum programs have incorporated some of the same strategies as Common Core. Old plot, new name.
Misha -- Nazi Germany and the USSR come to mind. What we were warned about when I was a kid has become what we are doing to our kids.
Larry -- It's a matter of what the education of our leaders is. High education is not always good education. I think we'll be hearing more about Common Core since it's sneaked through the back door of the schools and entered the classroom. 20% who saved for retirement may be invalid if confiscate and redistributed. Equality for all.
Lee
I wrote up a blog post a while ago about the language class requirements for Common Core. They have kids reading bus schedules, menus, etc. for substantial portions of the curriculum. If anything I think Common Core will harm kids' ability to fight for relevance in the increasingly global economy. I don't subscribe to the conspiracy theories but feel it is good intentions, group think and blindness that has led to where we are.
ReplyDeleteI'm in Canada, so we have a different system, and I haven't used a text book in my classroom for a few years now. We have a Curriculum we follow with skills and knowledge the kids need to acquire but we have a lot of control on how we do that. I'm very glad of that!! :)
ReplyDeleteThe public school system has been indoctrinating kids for decades. I've heard about Common Core and have yet to hear anything positive about it.
ReplyDeleteJust another reason that, when we have children, they will be homeschooled.
I feel like I understand where you're coming from Lee although I think you're maybe perhaps over worrying, I think that people should take a keen interest in what their child is learning because I assume most parents think the school is a school and they know best so I'm not going to take an interest when really they should, it's an interesting one though.
ReplyDeleteI just retired this year, Lee, and my youngest children are now in college. I could write pages and pages of opinion on Common Core. Just briefly, Common Core dumbs down education to the lowest common learning level. Just my opinion without going into anything about political aspects. Glad my kids are done with high school. The upcoming generations of students will be the first in the history of this country to learn less in school than their parents did.
ReplyDelete"RARELY IS THE QUESTION ASKED: IS OUR CHILDREN LEARNING?"
ReplyDelete~ George W. Bush
Florence, South Carolina; 1/11/2000
"YOU TEACH A CHILD TO READ, AND HE OR HER WILL BE ABLE TO PASS A LITERACY TEST."
~ George W. Bush
Townsend, Tennessee; 2/21/2001
So, let's look on the bright side, Sheeples: Thanks to Common Core, any of our childrens might someday grow up to be presadent of the Unitid States.
[ROBIN is great! I think I can retire from blogging now and just let Robin take the torch from me.]
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
This is kind of scary. I had not heard of Common Core but will now go do my homework. Thanks, Lee.
ReplyDeleteMy Chipmunk is in the fourth grade and like last year, my intention is to be active in what she learns. When I say that, I'm also aware of the fact that what she will be mostly doing in the school is prep work towards some standardized test that will determine if her school will get down graded, shut down or if kids will end up getting shuffled around. Like the No Child Left Behind initiative, I'll be working to better understand things about Common Core and how best to increase my child's ability to think rationally and to just simply think for herself.
ReplyDeleteSteven - Having kids learn to decipher practical life things is good, but I don't know if substantial portions of the curriculum should be set aside for this sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteJemi -- I think leaving the classroom to the teacher is better than making teachers the agents of government indoctrination.
Mark -- I was reading the homeschoolers will be required to stay with the Common Core curriculum in some states. Freedom? Are we losing it?
Yeamie -- I think for many parents school is an alternative to babysitting. There is reason for concern about what's happening to kids when they are in school.
Susan GK -- I think you're right about the upcoming crop of kids. My kids are done with their school, but now they have their own kids to think about.
StMc-- Robin did a great job, I agree.
Patricia -- All Americans should check out Common Core to see if this is really what we as a nation want.
Angela -- School out of federal government control is what I say!
Lee
I always knew what my son was being taught. He did very well in the school system he attended from preschool through 5th grade. We moved because my husband got a new job. The school system he came into was awful. I found myself reteaching many of the concepts because he wasn't getting it. I eventually took him out of the public school and home schooled him. He's 18 and graduated almost two years ago and a year of college behind him. For him, that was the best way to handle it.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think there are way too many students being passed on to the next grade without a firm grasp on even the basics. Do you realize that most high school grads wouldn't graduate if they had to take a GED test? It's a tough test.
Sia McKye Over Coffee
Outcome based education, Mastery Learning, reading iniatives, it takes a village..., No child left behind, Common Core - a rose by any other name still stinks. If you really value your children, want to be involved in their education, are concerned with what they are or are not learning, I have two words for you HOME SCHOOLING!
ReplyDeleteFarAwayEyes ~
ReplyDeleteRIGHT ON!!!
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Sia -- H.S. graduates are much dumber scholastically than they were 10 or 20 years ago, but they are more technologically adept when it comes to video games and social media. Hmmm. Good for you for taking your son's education in hand.
ReplyDeleteFaraway -- And if you can't or aren't going to home school, at least take a look at your kids textbooks to see what's in them, talk to the teachers to see what they're teaching, and talk to your kids to see what they are learning. Many parents keep their distance from the educational process and just turn things over to strangers.
Lee
I have never heard it called Common Core, but after reading the article you referenced, I have heard about it. Teachers have never called it by that, but certain things said and done by the state and the school sound like it.
ReplyDeleteYears ago my husband and I discussed homeschooling, but in the end decided not to. I really wish that I had.
I don't like a lot of things I see coming from the schools. I will do more reading about this.
@Stephen T. McCarthy - You can NOT retire from blogging and leave it to me!
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of my "Civics" class, but I was in Grade Eight not a six year old.
ReplyDelete@ ROBIN - Already Done!
ReplyDeleteGood luck edgeukating the mASSes.
(I pray you can get through to Comrade Jack.)
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Ruth -- Like many educational programs I think Common Core is slipping unseen into the schools, but now the thing has been revealed.
ReplyDeleteRobin -- I concur. We will not allow retirement.
Munir -- Whatever happened to civics in schools? Those classes should have been intended to teach us about the origins of our government and the way it works. I can see some exercises like the ones shown here, but not for first graders.
StMc -- McCarthy Music Man!
Lee
You do NOT want to get me started. :( I've had more teachers quote "Common Core" as the cause of my child's testing being lost, not completing teaching assignments, and so much more. Seriously, you don't want me to vent here. I'm feeling the rage of a mamma bear right now!
ReplyDelete