A Louisiana Teacher Writes About Common Core in Her Classroom

The following is a letter from a 3rd grade teacher in a Louisiana public school. It gives her opinion on Common Core based on how it is working in her classroom.

Common Core: A Destructive Experiment

Teachers and parents have recently become vocal about their opposition to Common Core, which has sparked some questions: Why is there a national debate about Common Core?

If Common Core is such a good “product”, why are the proponents having such a hard time “selling” it?

As a 3^rd grade math teacher, my goal is to help children develop a love for math and learning. I have been successful in meeting the individual learning needs of my students by incorporating hands-on methods and by being flexible in my teaching methods. Unfortunately, Common Core has taken the fun out of learning. Students are complaining of math being boring, confusing, and tedious in its completion.

Common Core treats every child as identical with identical needs, abilities, and learning styles, as well as using a confusing method of teaching math. According to common core methods, using the standard algorithm doesn’t give students a “deep and conceptual understanding” of what they are doing. That claim has not been supported by any research. However, it has been proven that correctly applied standard algorithms work the first time, every time. Many students prefer the traditional method of math, finding the new math to be confusing and tedious.

Hours of training and in-services have been held just to help teachers understand these new standards….time and money taken away from teaching our students. Promoters of Common Core claim that the standards are “clear and concise”. The amount of training required to “unpack” the standards contradicts the claim of “clear and concise”.

Parents are just as frustrated because they feel alienated from helping their children with homework.

Also, there is concern that children are not learning the basics of math through Common Core instruction.

If you do not fully understand the Common Core standards, please spend a little time educating yourself on the topic.

Parents, teachers, and concerned citizens are refusing to “buy” this experimental product for a reason.

This national debate over Common Core will continue until this destructive experiment on our children is stopped.

Julie Dyson

Elementary School Teacher

-DeQuincy, LA