Another very informative lecture about Common Core and the application process taken by the states.
After learning about the UNCRC(United Nations Conventions for the Rights of the Child) I wasn't so terribly shocked to then learn that UNESCO (the UN, essentially) is writing the kids' curriculum now under Common Core.
The SAT's and ACT's are Common Core now. This makes me truly angry since my thirteen year old is such an ambitious little fellow. I don't know when he'll be taking his SAT's(probably in two years) or what college he'll attend but as I keep telling him, "Man, you live in interesting times."
She mentions the Earth Charter which is adored by Common Core proponents(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Charter) and wow, doesn't it sound a lot like the Georgia Guidestones??? Especially #4(that would be the UN taking over national parks, which they've already done), #5(Agenda 21/Regionalism/Sustainable Development), #6(precautionary as in 'let's spread barium aluminum mixture all over the skies to protect our current climate meanwhile ignoring the obvious problems associated with it'), and #7(planned parenthood and eugenics).
A screenshot of some info in the lecture:
That's about the Math. The LA was just as bad if not worse, saying that 'college ready' by Common Core standards would be at about the 7th grade level.
I learned something quite surprising in the video which I don't know why it didn't occur to me before now to make the connection what with all the pay-for-grades, but the kids in our virtual school(FLVS) are constantly asked to evaluate and grade their teachers' performance and skills. This is done through The Tripod Project. It is a distinctive part of Common Core which is supposed to motivate the teachers to do better but the fact of the matter is, if a kid is pissed at their teacher, what do you THINK they're going to say??! They're KIDS for cryin' outloud! This is just about as ridiculous a thing to ask a kid to do as anything in the CC curriculum so far. Actually, it's the worst thing. Why? Because why should the children be asked to grade their teacher? The child is not qualified in any way to judge such a thing no matter how you word the questions. Children are emotional and fickle little beasties and with the psychologists writing the questionnaires you can bet they're formulated to have a certain bent to them in the end. It's psychological tuning. They can make the results say whatever they want in order to justify pulling a teacher's pay down.
http://stopcommoncore.com/ StopCommonCore is being added to the Human Rights Sites and Organizations area on this blog as of tonight. I encourage you to visit and spread the word.
Here is a fantastic list of documents which spell out what Common Core is and is not.
http://stopcommoncore.com/show-me-the-evidence-toc/evidence-standards/
Here is a long list of state initiatives to stop Common Core and links to their sites:
http://stopcommoncore.com/get-connected/
Common Core bypassed Congress entirely. It even bypassed the
education boards because the states wanted the money so badly they raced
to put in their applications. It was attached to the stimulus bill in
2008. And then grades dropped even more. hmmm...
I think that Glenn Beck's breakdown of the entire political situation is absolutely spot on. Please watch.
Thankfully, he dug deep on the funding of Common Core and listed a few of the big ones like GE and the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation. ahhh smell the stench of rotting, over-vaccinated brains in the classroom yet?
Here are examples of Common Core, looking directly at textbooks, both LA and Math and contrasting them with 'old school' textbooks. I grew up with the old school texts and this 'new math' that my twelve year old was being taught the past two years was making him absolutely miserable until I taught him the way I originally learned and we started using outside sources(NON Common Core!) like Khan Academy to study and practice those concepts. I don't even understand the new math, honestly. They take a two digit multiplication problem and turn it into some convoluted rocket science disaster of a mess. It's driving kids crazy. They don't understand simple things because it's so severely overcomplicated in how they're being taught now.
I had enough of the language arts my twelve year old was being taught. I pulled him out and am currently teaching him myself. We're reading all sorts of wonderful books now and he's writing funny short stories using his spelling words. He's discovering he has a talent to write scary stories. Would he have ever found this talent if I hadn't stepped in? I really don't believe so. His poor brain was overwhelmed with useless nonsense they were trying to cram down his throat.
My local newspaper is toeing the line regarding the county commissioner of education's exciting New Plan to pull our "C" rated schools up to "A" level within a few years. Fantastic. What is this plan?
The article is quoted as stating that "increasing staff learning and growth
and providing support and resources to students and staff" will get the
ball rolling in the right direction. Oh, and throwing more money at everyone.
Uh huh. Right. I'm no
dummy. I can read exactly what's there. See all these 'improvements'
they're talking about for Polk County really only mean one thing: money
in the pockets of certain people who handle the money it's going to
involve to supposedly implement these 'improvements.'
I'm not
jaded. I just woke the hell up. It's just a money game; creating jobs
for themselves especially. Our economy is crap and they're off trying to
create jobs which AREN'T GOING TO HELP THE KIDS!!!!!!!! You can't fix
something if you haven't got a clue about what's WRONG!!!
This is a load of crap. Don't throw more money at the problem and don't implement Common Core. Get back to the BASICS.
My (now)home schooled kids were pulled out during fourth and fifth grade due to the ridiculousness going on in class. Always catering to the lowest denominator and babyfying the kids all across the board.
We brought them home and now they have excelled far beyond our wildest dreams. One is doing college at the age of thirteen and the other is not far behind his big brother.
Here are the three biggest reasons why public school is the cesspool it is:
1) Apathy
2) ... which is spawned by 'busy work'
3) and not being realistic about which kids are college bound or not.
Now this doesn't mean that some kids won't spontaneously bloom and suddenly jump onto the path of the college bound, but I don't think that keeping the entire class on the same pace is realistic. It bores the interested kids and keeps everyone dumbed down. And then you wonder why more kids aren't 'college ready.' hmm...
Also, let's be honest here, shall we, about college? The new high school diploma is a bachelor's degree. Colleges are simply money making operations right now, only in it for themselves, since the industries they're accredited to give degrees in don't have enough positions to fill in this country.
Our jobs are being outsourced but college is still being pushed as a great idea for EVERYONE!
WAKE UP!!! This is not sustainable in our society.
Kids need to learn basic skills(through 10th grade) and then go into the college track if they're willing and able. Otherwise they can go into vocational/trade schools and get a good job. The last two years of high school really only exist for those kids who are on the college track. Look at the curriculum and prove me wrong.
I don't know the last time I've seen a cashier or bank teller use Pre-Calculus or Chemistry.
Also, the previous article about this topic in the newspaper online and everyone's comments were deleted. Here's today's article. Let's see what happens to it.
Actions speak louder than words and in this case I think the Ledger spoke volumes about their agenda to protect the money makers at all cost.
