Stop all this "Stop the Common Core" Stuff

I have had enough of this stuff already. We have people talking about conspiracy theories and brainwashing, now we have a bill in the Ohio House that is trying to stop the implementation of the Common Core standards. Really? After all the work that teachers and administrators in Ohio have put into unpacking, repacking, backpacking, talking about and now implementing the new standards. My school is teaching the Common Core Standards this year. Why? Why would we be aligning with the Common Core if we aren't responsible for them until next year?

Because it is good teaching that's why. The Common Core standards are going to make our students think deeper and analyze the material in ways that they never have before. Our old standards were too broad and didn't have the rigor of the new standards. That's what I care about.

I don't care that Tea Party people think that it is the federal government taking over our education system. I don't care that the public comment period was only two months long. I don't care. I care that our students (my own children included) are going to be challenged. They will be challenged and that will prepare them for college and their careers.

Some folks want to think that President Obama wants to brainwash students by requiring them to read more informational text. When was the last time that you had to read a novel for your job? When was the last time you had to give a book report including the character's thoughts and feelings? My guess is it was a long time ago. Not that literature isn't important, but if we want to prepare kids for the "real world," it just makes sense that we would require them to learn how to effectively read informational text. That is what they will read in the "real world".

Come on people, let's get real. If you want to do what is best for kids, then you will stop all this "Stop the Common Core" stuff. I'll let Mike Ditka take it from here...