As states debate if they will join the Common Core State Standards Initiative, districts are busy training teachers on how to implement the new standards. The standards have been created out of good intentions, with the goal for ALL American students to have the “same” educational standards. Many educators have spoken out against these standards for many reasons.One is due to the feeling that the push has a hidden agenda of comparing teachers, schools, and states to each other in a rank and sort manner. The Common Core do have a broad reach and challenge students to reach a higher level of learning.
These new standards seem to broad for schools and miss out on the key elements society has expected schools to focus on in the past. We need to Focus on a few “Life” skills to make our students better citizens. Below is what the Common Core SHOULD look like!
A Teacher’s Common Core
Preparing Students for LIFE!
- Humility-a modest or low view of one’s own importance; humbleness.
- Compassion – sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.
- Empathy – the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
- Honesty- the quality of being honest not lying.
- Integrity- the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
- Determination-firmness of purpose; resoluteness.
- Justice- seeking just behavior or treatment.
- Passion/love- showing or caused by strong feelings or a strong belief.
- Financial Literacy- the ability to understand how money works in the world
Sweat to Inspire 