tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post3397049624808575645..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: More Ed Reform, Same Pattern - Direction, DownMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-73516393642888452432014-11-13T02:29:41.748-08:002014-11-13T02:29:41.748-08:00In these days people are too busy and always look ...In these days people are too busy and always look for such expert writer who can complete assignment, reports or write essays within the deadlines. Our professional writers meeting the deadlines along with quality content. You can get essay writing service <a href="http://reallyprofessionalessays.com/" rel="nofollow">navigate to these guys</a> anytime and anywhere in the world as we are available 24 hours for your help.<br />Chris Terrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-43531901967955356732014-05-19T01:36:05.699-07:002014-05-19T01:36:05.699-07:00n,
I don't always agree with everything you w...n,<br /><br />I don't always agree with everything you write here, but I think your comment above is excellent.<br /><br />I'd like to flush out bit more around the edges of this topic.<br /><br />Common Core may not explicitly take away teachers' creativity, but some of the movements around standards definitely are. If your principal isn't putting the squeeze on you, then count yourself lucky, because others are. They've been chasing away many of their best teachers in the name of standards and consistency over the past few years. Specifically, this happened at Lowell a few years back, with devastating results, and it's still happening to this day at Lincoln, although virtually all the (great) teachers that dared to question the methods have been forced out.<br /><br />This is not to say that I think teachers should be able to do whatever they want, whenever they want, to the detriment of a solid education for their students. It's just that some principals haven't a clue what creative, effective teaching methods look like. You might say this is just a problem with certain principals, and you'd be partly right, but they are leaning on Standards to hammer their ideals home.<br /><br />The other problem with national standards (and like you, I believe in the general intent), or any high-stake standards, for that matter, is that they tend to reduce the teaching of other valuable lessons. Civics, basic respect for your fellow students, music, art, keeping up on current events - national and local, etc. Some of these lessons cannot be planned, they happen when teachers are able to recognize a "teaching moment", and they're willing to turn on a dime and take the time to see it through. If teachers are hounded when they go "off script", it not only demeans them as professionals, but it robs our kids of important life lessons.<br /><br />When teachers, schools, principals and entire districts are measured and rated according to how well students perform on national tests, it's a near-certainty that in most classrooms teachers will feel compelled to focus more on those particular tested topics and less on optional lessons. <br /><br />I don't know what can even be done about this issue, because the problems are tightly embedded within the basic framework. I don't want to see students and teachers completely excused from meeting basic standards, but there's a very difficult balance, and the ability to measure a teacher's <i>overall</i> effectiveness doesn't boil down to a few test scores, it's really difficult to measure. National standards want to boil it down to a few numbers and call it a day, but I don't believe that's good enough.<br /><br />dwnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-41678316470118146882014-05-18T20:52:01.988-07:002014-05-18T20:52:01.988-07:00Pearson also owns almost all of the psychological ...Pearson also owns almost all of the psychological tests used for determining eligibility for special education.<br /><br />-They Don't Own MeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-64769725231308627142014-05-18T18:37:33.589-07:002014-05-18T18:37:33.589-07:00Great points all, N.Great points all, N.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-81350621227292454842014-05-18T17:04:42.425-07:002014-05-18T17:04:42.425-07:00I've always been a proponent of national stand...I've always been a proponent of national standards. I believe the standard by which we judge a child's education should be commensurate across state lines. So I agreed with the intention of the common core standards.<br /><br />However, the reality of its implementation nationwide falls far short of the expectation. As a primary teacher, I agree that it seriously misses the mark developmentally. Even our "best and brightest" children have socio-emotional challenges that conflict with the goals of the standards in the early years. And it appears that Pearson has customized a whole industry that will define common core from concept to standards to implementation to assessment. It might as well be called Pearson's Common Core. <br /><br />As much as I disdain what the common oore movement is becoming, I will take issue with one complaint I hear pretty often even from my own classroom parents: <i>It takes away a teacher's creativity.</i><br /><br />No, it doesn't. The truth be told there is a percentage of poor teachers out there. Within the construct of the common core, one can still be creative. "Creativity" has become synonymous with "let me teach the way I always have whether it works or not." Let's work on making the standards more age appropriate and continue to work on developing better teaching practices so that all of our kids will be better served by every teacher. <br /><br />That "creativity" word should be banned from a teacher's lexicon. I consider myself very creative and I don't use it to denigrate the intention of the common core standards.nnoreply@blogger.com