Does the Common Core Demoralize Teachers?
Does the Common Core Demoralize Teachers?
It’s a serious question, with serious implications. It’s a question that arises for me all too often when I see tired faces, confused looks, or disheartened shoulders. It’s a question that I feel a responsibility to wrestle with; after all, I’ve spent the last few years working to make sense of the Core, to put it in language that resonates with others, to make it accessible in ways that teachers won’t feel like they’re losing the integrity of their classrooms.
Yet, there’s a commentary beneath the looks of educators who feel like this is just “one more thing” that “takes me away from my students.” And from what I can surmise, the commentary is this.
Teachers already have too many things to worry about and no one will take something away to make room for these standards.
The standards were written by people who aren’t in the classroom; they have no idea how difficult it is to get kids
It’s a serious question, with serious implications. It’s a question that arises for me all too often when I see tired faces, confused looks, or disheartened shoulders. It’s a question that I feel a responsibility to wrestle with; after all, I’ve spent the last few years working to make sense of the Core, to put it in language that resonates with others, to make it accessible in ways that teachers won’t feel like they’re losing the integrity of their classrooms.Yet, there’s a commentary beneath the looks of educators who feel like this is just “one more thing” that “takes me away from my students.” And from what I can surmise, the commentary is this.
Teachers already have too many things to worry about and no one will take something away to make room for these standards.
The standards were written by people who aren’t in the classroom; they have no idea how difficult it is to get kids