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Common Core Standards and Curriculum Reflection

Personally, I feel that common core state standards are a good thing. I have many
reasons as to why I think this way. To give you some background information, I have
been teaching at the second grade level for the past 11 years and I have witnessed
many changes in education including behaviors and expectations for both students and
teachers. Change can be difficult for many, but to ensure some universal expectations
and guidance is a move in the right direction. As always, I feel there are situations that
may not justify the common core for all students and these situations need to be
addressed through other means such as IEPs and etc. When I first began teaching I
recall not having a lot of specific expectations. For example we were all given the same
Reading curriculum, but on any given day one could go into the same grade level
classroom and very different things were being taught. Also, pacing and assessment
were not really defined either. For writing we were not given a curriculum and often
focused writing around personal reflection and teacher chosen themes. I felt like we
had a pretty good Math curriculum and it was probably the most controlled as far as
what students were being taught and the general routine. We did not even have a
Science or Social Studies curriculum and were told to teach it through our literature.

Transitioning into Common Core has been quite political because of the different
feelings about it. I have heard some resistance from colleagues and parents alike. I
feel that this resistance is in most part from fear. I have heard colleagues state that
they feel like this is unprofessional and that they are not trusted in what they do. I have
heard parents state that they just don’t get common core and it just confuses everyone.
I feel that common core reinforces many ways to do things and it requires deeper
thinking and requires evidence of learning. Personally, I am happy to see a list of
standards so I explicitly know what is expected. Since the mandate of the CCSS our
district has piloted and adopted new curriculums for Reading, Math, Writing, Science,
and Social Studies; all of which are common core aligned. So realistically if I use the
materials provided I will meet my CCSS teaching requirements. I feel it is necessary to
have universal expectations so students are learning the same skills and it should be
mandatory in all states. I do not feel that it is “Big Brother” trying to control what we do,
rather they’re setting guidelines and expectations based on research. The way these
skills are taught is a different story. The standards are valuable, but the way these skills
are taught is vital to student learning. As a classroom teacher I understand the
importance of making learning fun and valuable to be an effective educator. I also
understand the importance of community building within a classroom. In the article “Are
Teachers Really Leaders in Disguise?” by Ronald E. Riggio he describes
transformational leadership and its 4 components including idealized influence,
inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation. These
qualities are vital to ensure learning within a classroom and CCSS will not do it alone.
This is the piece that needs some revamping. Through professional development and
collaboration teachers are able to discuss, share, learn, and reflect on best practices to
engage students. In the article “Making the Shifts” Sandra Alberti stated “CCSS to date
has done little to change education and the adoption process was only the opening of
the door.” I agree with Alberti because there is room for improvement in the
implementation of the CCSS.

Citations:

Alberti, S. Making the Shifts. Retrieved March 22, 2018, from


http://www.ascd.org/publications/
educational-leadership/dec12/vol70/num04/Making-the-Shifts.aspx

Riggio, R. E.. Are Teachers Really Leaders in Disguise? Retrieved March 22,
2018,from.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201006/are-teachers-
really-leaders-in-disguise

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