Common Core's Dirtiest Trick: Dividing Parents and Children

[Igakusei]

Originally Posted By: Igakusei

Do you know what explanation this teacher was looking for? Because I'm pretty sure that requiring a deeper explanation than common-sense addition with real-world objects or using a number line is reserved for advanced college students majoring in math.

Regardless of what you are sure of my granddaughter is in kindergarten.

The last I talked about this with my DIL, they still were lacking a explanation that made sense.

See if you can figure out what the explanation that didn't make sense was. I'm curious.

[lazarus]

My son and DIL hardly fit the description of the "dumbest and least educated",yet they are not able to help their daughter in kindergarten, as well as their son in second grade.

The answer as to why 2+2= 4 still has not been answered.Yet this little girl in kindergarten and her "dumb,uneducated" parents are expected to. Nor are they afraid to pt in the effort.They spend a great deal of time seeing to their homework and education

This is puzzling. When you say "they are not able to help their daughter", do you mean they were not able to help their daughter to understand or that they are not able to understand?

I have a Kindergartener, 4th grader and a 9th grader. Sometimes as a parent there were ways of working that are new to me and so I had to spend a few minutes on Google. After that it is was quite straight forward. I would hope that Kindergarten work in the 1970's (when I was kindergartener) would be significantly different from that of 2014. We live in a different world.

We now homeschool our two youngest. Our issue has never been one of not being able to help our kids. The concepts and requirements were usually understandable and relevant.

The reason why we homeschool has to do with learning styles and how narrow the public school curriculum's are.

I have a lot of respect for teachers. Teaching 30 Kindergarteners is hard work. Due to no fault of their own, they cannot give my children the attention that I feel they need so we home"school. IMHO, the public school system is often about educating and training "drones" (that is a bit harsh, I know). For a few years we hope to give our children a chance to get more out of school than many kids seem to get these days.

[bonnie]

[lazarus]

It is what I thought it was. The father could not understand how to do the work. He didn't know how to do subtraction stories. So what if he has a Phd? That doesn't mean he doesn't have to spend a few minutes researching a concept. He could have Googled subtraction stories and worked it out. It's not that hard.

I was still puzzled until I read this in the article.

.......Another Daily Caller article points out one Common Core math assignment that attacked Ronald Reagan and referred to Abraham Lincoln’s religion as “liberal.” -

I get it now.

Quote:

Maybe you won't want to continue homeschooling if you are after a curriculum that isn't so narrow.

Not sure what you mean.

[bonnie]

It is what I thought it was. The father could not understand how to do the work. He didn't know how to do subtraction stories. So what if he has a Phd? That doesn't mean he doesn't have to spend a few minutes researching a concept. He could have Googled subtraction stories and worked it out. It's not that hard.

I was still puzzled until I read this in the article.

.......Another Daily Caller article points out one Common Core math assignment that attacked Ronald Reagan and referred to Abraham Lincoln’s religion as “liberal.” -

Quote:

I get it now.

Had I thought that you would try to make something political about this I would have removed that

Quote:

Maybe you won't want to continue homeschooling if you are after a curriculum that isn't so narrow.

Not sure what you mean.

So all the parents and many teachers are against Common Core because of those two comments. I seriously doubt that most were even aware of that. I read it for the first time when reading this article.

How ridiculous.

Find a school that uses the Common Core curriculum .That should solve the problem of a "narrow curriculum"

[lazarus]

What I don't get is a parent who would object to common core because they couldn't understand K homework. 9th/12th grade perhaps but not K. That's odd. Like Bravus said, there are other reasons to object.

[bonnie]

What I don't get is a parent who would object to common core because they couldn't understand K homework. 9th/12th grade perhaps but not K. That's odd. Like Bravus said, there are other reasons to object.

I didn't ask them why not wait until 9-12 to object. Maybe I should ask them.I assumed it would be obvious but maybe not.

Both parents are very involved and engaged in their schooling and as they are just really beginning don't want them so frustrated because it is beyond their understanding at their age and level.

Maybe it would be better to wait until the high school years

[Bravus]

(happy to withdraw if a comment on a .sig quote is considered out of bounds)

Quote:

Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It's not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument, or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make, period ...

I agree with this, 100%. It just needs one added dimension. Well, two:

1. Not everyone has the same range of options from which to choose. I can choose between traveling to a conference in Beijing and one in Vancouver. I'm very privileged in being able to make that choice, and someone who works the store floor at Walmart doesn't get to make that choice. Blaming people for choices they are not in any position to make is not just.

2. Not everyone *knows* what choices are available. Education (broadly defined in terms of parenting and other influences as well as schooling) is important in helping people to recognise the range of choices available to them. When education (broadly defined) fails, people make poor choices *because they do not know about the existence of better options*. Again, judging individuals for society's failures is not just.

[bonnie]

(happy to withdraw if a comment on a .sig quote is considered out of bounds)

Quote:

1. Not everyone has the same range of options from which to choose. I can choose between traveling to a conference in Beijing and one in Vancouver. I'm very privileged in being able to make that choice, and someone who works the store floor at Walmart doesn't get to make that choice. Blaming people for choices they are not in any position to make is not just.

The choice to work the floor at Wal-Mart and not go beyond that is a personal choice.

Long before we had the options and advantages available today,many poverty level individuals took it upon themselves to improve.

Of course parenting and education is important. You and you alone are responsible for exploring what choices are available.

If you sit there and wait for someone to come along and give you a list of choices you probably aren't going to far.

In this country information is readily available. But you do need to get off the backside and find out what is available

[Igakusei]

Sure, but there's a lot of room for nuance between blaming people for missing opportunities that their upbringing never really empowered them to take, and taking away personal responsibility.

If the child of an investment banker who went to private school with other children of high-achieving parents, played sports, music, etc. and the child of a verbally abusive coke dealer who went to an inner city public school and came home to watch TV all evening both decided not to go to college, should we see those choices as being equal? What about if they both decided to sell guns on the black market?

While I do agree that everyone is accountable for their actions, there's nuance here.

[bonnie]

Sure, but there's a lot of room for nuance between blaming people for missing opportunities that their upbringing never really empowered them to take, and taking away personal responsibility.

[Igakusei]

Why do you jump to the extremes? Most children of unsuccessful parents are unsuccessful, and vice versa. When class does change, it usually does so in increments. A vanishingly small percentage go from top to bottom or bottom to top in only a single generation. By focusing on the exceptions rather than the remarkably consistent pattern, you miss the big picture and any lessons that can be learned from it.

[bonnie]

Why do you jump to the extremes? Most children of unsuccessful parents are unsuccessful, and vice versa. When class does change, it usually does so in increments. A vanishingly small percentage go from top to bottom or bottom to top in only a single generation. By focusing on the exceptions rather than the remarkably consistent pattern, you miss the big picture and any lessons that can be learned from it.

It is hardly extreme. Unsuccessful parents can be a stumbling block. Never claimed otherwise.Just as successful parents are not always successful in raising their children.

For both,at the end of the day,the decision is theirs to make.

Ignorance of options is a handy excuse for most that use that.

It is difficult for people to change a lifestyle and behavior,but most worthwhile things in life can be difficult.

There are far too many options to improve your lot in life,but that takes motivation,many times discouragement,and hard work.To much looking at the other guy and resenting him for having more than you.

When you are all done blaming the parents,the world at large,it is your decision to make.