Monday, March 31, 2014

Make the Grade or Die Trying: Common Core and College. March 31, 2014

March 31, 2014: Am I referring to a High School student getting ready to be thrust into college? No. I’m writing in response to everything I’ve gleaned from parents, students and educators fighting back against this crazy “Common Core” curriculum. What I’m having trouble is finding any information if this curriculum from a college perspective. Yes, I see this is trying to prepare High school students for college according to the ACT dot org website. What I want to know is: is Common Core being utilized *in* colleges everywhere? I haven’t found the answer, yet. This is what sucks about being in the dark. I read about the Engineering degree parent who wrote on their kid’s CC math homework that he couldn’t make sense of the math question and how the student has to go through 180 steps to figure out the “wrong” right answer. I watched the videos about the 9th grade Special Ed student who spoke out against Common Core being taught in his public school before a hearing. I watched the video where the Arkansas mom decimates Common Core in four minutes. I’ve been following a discussion board elsewhere on the net lately to keep myself abreast of the unfolding Common Core debate. BUT— I don’t have kids. I’m not a parent. I ask questions from time-to-time that never get answered. Why? Maybe Common Core shouldn’t affect the average non-parent out there in society who will want to finish their college education someday. I mean, duh—shouldn’t I have learned everything in High school and know this already? I have a GED to my name and two semesters of college. Its two different sides of the coin with Common Core. Either you are “for” Common Core or you hotly “oppose” it. There is no rhyme and reason with Common Core. It prepares another generation to be computers. Throw out the fundamentals of learning the old way. This “new” Common Core way will make “slave wagers” out there in society. Okay, I understand this from all the debates I’ve been reading about. BUT— How does this prepare me for "college level" Common Core? Why should it worry me anyway? Shouldn’t I know the answer to my question by now or am I *gasp* already dumbed down myself? I see these math worksheets they're giving students as early as Preschool and Kindergarten and I’m not EVEN the student. What I see horrifies me. I’m not even a parent, either. Why should it even concern me? Well, if I had any notions I’d conquer my “LD” demons, then Common Core is Satan in the world of academics. The Learning Disability program is a precursor to Common Core. Just like back in the Seventies (before I was born), they had what was called the "new" math, which was possibly a template that later become Common Core. Make the grade or die trying. Why this popped into my head while mulling over countless pages of debate about Common Core doesn’t come to me as a surprise. I don’t speak in favor of the LD program because of my past experiences. I’m not posting intense hatred for this public school program. I’m not here to troll and spew negativity, that isn’t me. I just want answers as to the difficulty rating from 1 being the lowest and 10 being highest in regards to this Common Core curriculum. If an Engineering degree dad can’t figure out Common Core, and an Arkansas mother with twelve years of college under her belt can’t figure where the logic is in this muddled mess, what chance does a person like me have when I do eventually return to seek a degree in General Studies? I’d eventually like to have a minor in History, since that is my second strong area that interests me. But eh, whatever. Maybe someday I will stumble upon my answers in the unlikeliest of places—like a bookstore or the library, perhaps. *Shrugs*

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