Common Core is Not This Mom's Enemy

Math has never been my strong suit. I did fairly well in school, but have never embraced the subject.  As I watch both my boys on their educational journey, currently in the 7th and 5th Grades, I marvel at how well they're both doing with the subject.  My main question to them is always, "Do you understand the concept?" It's okay to make mistakes, but I always want them to be sure they grasp the concepts before moving on to the next lesson.

When this whole argument regarding the Common Core came up, I chose to stay out of it because I just didn't feel I had enough information to form an opinion. And for all intents and purposes, I'm still staying out of it.  The only thing I am armed with is the trust in my children's educators (especially when they switched to a new school) and the belief that my children have a grasp and an understanding of what is being taught to them.  If I didn't have those assurances, who knows where I'd be on the spectrum of this debate.  I do, however, love the concept of "critical thinking" as a practice--not just rote memorization. Here is a video featuring Dr. James Tanton discussing his fascinating take on the Common Core Standards. Please take the time to hear and listen to what he has to say.

                               As parents and the primary educators of our children, we want what's best for our children. There's no argument in that. And this debate will continue. Unfortunately the argument often gets heated and there are a lot of frustrations on both sides. But let me just say this, in our pursuit of making sure our children have better than we did, let's not use the excuse of "that's how I've always done it".  Be open to new things...and in this case, it may be Common Core...it may not.  I'm certainly not claiming to hold all the answers.

But the "Anti" movement is loud and proud. I get it. I'm not fighting it. I'm just simply presenting the existence of the other side--often the more quiet side. And it's where I sit.