Common Sense 101 Chapter Two

Chapter Two


A Look at Common Core with Common Sense

Education is supposed to give a child the tools they need to learn, and to instill a lifelong love of learning in the child. Using that measure, Common Core, is a failure from the start. Anything that makes a child hate or dislike going to school, be it bullying, a mean teacher, hunger, family problems at home, or distractions in the school, is counter productive to the process of getting the child to learn. Okay I can see,the thoughts behind Common Core. If you get students to learn things in groups with minimal teacher input (the teacher is a manager or coach), the kids learn better, and retain the knowledge longer. Kids these days are smarter than a lot of so-called adults give them credit. After all if a 3 year old can learn to work a smart phone, or a computer, they can learn almost anything else needed to get by in this world. Since by itself, Common Sense is sometimes not enough, you have to add in a little Reason and Logic. The kids in groups do not consider what they are doing as learning, but playing, or having FUN. Which I think is the KEY word in this whole chapter. When what you are doing stops being FUN then it becomes WORK. Children are by nature wanting to play constantly, it is up to the schools and the parents to instill a work ethic in the children. When you try to teach kids with something like Common Core, that makes them cry all over their homework, and creates frustration in both children and parents, you are defeating your purpose.

A Math example from Common Core. The math problem, which has been posted online by the Independent Journal Review, asks a student to tell how they can make 10 by adding eight plus five. Initially, based on the phrasing of the question, it seems that there is no possible way to get 10 when adding eight and five because the sum of those two numbers is 13, but when the student who answered the question explains that, the teacher tries to tell them that they’re wrong.

“Yes you can,” replies the teacher. “Take two from five and add it to eight (8 + 2 = 10). Then add 3.”

Is it any wonder kids are crying at the thought of going to school, and parents and kids are pulling their hair out in frustration. These kids are becoming emotional wreaks.