Common Core Education And More About Federal Government Control

[Diane Amberg]

Ok Ross, according to you, if there is local control, all the money will be spent on sports. Is that what you want? 

[Ross]

Ok Ross, according to you, if there is local control, all the money will be spent on sports. Is that what you want?

That is such an ignorant question which shows your lack of attention or lack of comprehension of the subject matter. Sorry teacher you fail! I will allow ample opportunity to re-read for comprehension and award make up points but only for you as my only favorite pupil.
 

Good Luck

[Ross]

[Ross]

I just received this in an e-mail and I think it shows how far overboard we have gone beyond common sense.
Like the recent story I read about suspending a grade schooler for pointing his finger.

Anyway here is the e-mail:

By  today's standards, none of us  were supposed to ever make it past High School. 

HIGH SCHOOL -- 1957 vs. 2013



Scenario                 1:   

Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck's gun rack.

1957 -  Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.

2013 -  School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again.  Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.     

 

Scenario                 2:     

Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.   

1957 -  Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.   

2013 -  Police called and SWAT team arrives -- they arrest both Johnny and Mark.  They are both charged with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it .   



Scenario                 3:     

Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.   

1957 -  Jeffrey sent to the Principal's office and given a good paddling by the Principal.  He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.                 

2013 -  Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin.  He becomes a zombie.  He is then tested for ADD The family gets extra money (SSI) from the government because Jeffrey has a disability.   



Scenario                 4:     

Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.                 

1957 -  Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman.   

2013 -  Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse, Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang.  The state psychologist is told by Billy's sister that she remembers being abused (spanked) herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has an affair with the psychologist.   



Scenario                 5:     

Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.   

1957 -  Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal out on the smoking dock .   

2013 -  The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations.  His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.                   





Scenario                 7:     

Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant bed.     

1957 - Ants die. 


2013 ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called.  Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism.  The FBI investigates his parents - and all siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated.  Johnny's dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.                   



Scenario                 8:     

Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee.   He is found crying by his teacher, Mary.  Mary hugs him to comfort him.     

1957  -   In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.                 

2013-  Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job.  She faces 3 years in State Prison.  Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.   



This should hit every e-mail inbox to show how stupid we have become!
 
 

[Warph]

Intrusive Questionnaire Given To First Graders In Louisiana School

The Blaze:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/10/16/parents-outraged-over-wildly-intrusive-school-survey-that-polls-students-on-obamas-skin-color-parents-political-affiliation-obamacare/

This questionnaire is from the Central Community School System in Louisiana.  The parent notes on it that he thinks it's Common Core. no one hasn't been able to verify that, however.

(This stuff is absolutely sickening.  The people who are pushing this crap are setting the stage for us to lose an entire generation of children)

[Ross]

Warph, Thank you for posting this sickening questionnaire.

I still haven't heard or seen anything out of our West Elk School Board as to their standing on Common Core!

Perhaps, our School Superintendent can steer the School Board on this subject, like he does on every other subject that they try to address, do you suppose happen?

Mr. Moore is a very intelligent person and does a great job of directing the School Board Members and I'd like to see that talent used concerning the Common Core.

I feel strongly  if the School Board does not address Common Core soon, it may become too late. And then it won't matter if they have a Taj Mahal or not, the Federal Government will have full control.

Many thanks Warph.

Perhaps a couple more links may draw the School Boards Attention to a real problem ---- Common Core!

Common Core Developers Fail To Warranty Product
http://www.eagleforum.org/publications/educate/mar14/common-core-developers-fail-to-warranty-product.html


NEA Says Common Core Was 'Botched'
http://www.eagleforum.org/publications/educate/mar14/nea-says-common-core-was-botched.html


A Rose By Any Other Name Is Still 'Common Core'
http://www.eagleforum.org/publications/educate/mar14/a-rose-by-any-other-name-is-still-common-core.html

Education Briefs
http://www.eagleforum.org/publications/educate/mar14/education-briefs.html

[Diane Amberg]

I am in no way defending those questions, but something similar has always been asked for parents to address if a child was being considered for special help of any kind. General special ed. speech, psychological, extreme shyness, panic attacks.etc.It wouldn't have been just handed out to all kids.
I can't speak for now, but in my day that questionnaire would have been used at a one on one with the teacher or school counselor and one or both parents/guardians. Only the questions pertinent to that child would have been asked,to the adults,rarely the child, and not the whole list. Remember ,some kids have very strange home situations.There are abusive parents and relatives that will try to hide behind "privacy "issues.That should never have been given to first graders to fill out.I doubt most could even read most of it, let alone understand it.

[Ross]

This just represents one of the many faults with Common Core.
Excuses of yesteryear changes nothing.
This is here and now in the 21st Century with a government that is already
Spying on everyone and collecting humongous amounts of data.

Enough said, I think.

[Ross]

Norwalk educators:
Common Core will teach kids to
win arguments with their parents

March 24, 2014

Nancy on Norwalk
Nancy is a former reporter for the Norwalk Daily Voice. She resigned in October to begin Nancy On Norwalk.

NORWALK, Conn. – A familiar fictional children's book will become the foundation for scientific learning and the development of critical thinking abilities in Norwalk Public Schools under Common Core State Standards, educators say.

"We will do our 'Frog and Toad' book just like we always did, but now we will pair it with an informational text on frogs and toads," said Wolfpit Elementary School Assistant Principal Maureen Jones, referring to what she said is a classic series of easy reader books, "Frog and Toad."

While Common Core State Standards are controversial on a state and national level, Norwalk educators agree it's full steam ahead, Board of Education Chairman Mike Lyons said recently.

That will mean a switch to more non-fiction books (now called informational text) in English classrooms and techniques to help students examine the differences in fiction and non-fiction, Jones and Middle School English/Language Arts Department Head Tritty Kelly said. Math students will be guided to reason and create arguments to back up their answers, District Math Specialist Craig Creller said.

"We're not competing anymore with Tennessee or Massachusetts," said Creller, head of the Norwalk Common Core Transition Team. "It's Hong Kong, it's Singapore. America wants to be globally competitive, that's what it's really about."

It's going to be 50-50 in terms of fiction and non-fiction for the English Language learners, Kelly said. But the kids will be digging deeper into the text, writing arguments and opinions, learning academic vocabulary as well as regular vocabulary, she said.

They will be asked to describe the characters in the Frog and Toad fiction books, and use examples from the text to back up their descriptions. They will also do a lot of comparing and constrasting, using non-fiction texts on frogs and toads.
 

In middle school, the mix will be 70 percent non-fiction and 30 percent fiction, Kelly said. The kids will be asked to compare the narrative styles in books and challenged to speculate how they would see the plot and characters differently if they were written from a different point of view. They will be asked to point out what narrative techniques make it obvious that a book is non-fiction, she said. They will be asked to write essays comparing and contrasting the use of details in narratives, she said.

"We're going to teach your kids to write such wonderful arguments that you're going to lose every time," she said.

Creller stressed three words in regard to the math curriculum: focus, coherence and rigor.

Focus means "fewer topics learned at a much deeper level," he said; while the old books had about 123 topics, the new books have about 50, he said.

Coherence means sticking with what is developmentally appropriate for children, he said.

"Instead of having to study probabilities in third grade, which we had to do for the Connecticut Master test, we don't do that until sixth grade now because brain research says that's when it's developmentally appropriate," he said.

Rigor means a rigorous education, he said. After 20 years of debate it's been decided – children in second and third grades should not have calculators, he said. This is so they can learn to add and subtract, and form habits of mind, he said.

"We want our children to be persevering problem solvers," he said. "We want them to reason abstractly, not just know the concept, but be able to quantitatively get the correct answer and, more importantly, construct viable arguments and critique the arguments of others."

http://eagnews.org/norwalk-educators-common-core-will-teach-kids-to-beat-parents-in-arguments/

[Ross]

Forth-graders get PETA propaganda
disguised as Common Core

March 25, 2014
         Kyle Olson

SHRUB OAK, N.Y. – The mandated increase in "informational texts" called for in the Common Core national standards has opened up a word of possibilities for classroom activists who wish to present politically radical ideas to their students.

Fourth graders in New York's Lakeland Central School District – and their parents – found that out when Jessica Fiorillo's son brought home a reading that turned out to be taken directly from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' (PETA) website. Word for word.

This is not unusual for Common Core reading texts. While the idea is for students to learn how to comprehend what they read, the texts are frequently left-wing political statements that many believe are designed to influence their opinions.

The reading, which argues why classrooms shouldn't have pets, was given to students as a lesson on "text structure."

The reading is titled, "Should Animals Be Kept in the Classroom?"

"Many teachers bring animals into their classrooms with good intentions, like wanting to teach you and your classmates responsibility or teach you about the animals themselves. However, rabbit, mice, rats, guinea pigs, frogs, snakes, fish, and other animals used as teaching "tools" are too often abused and neglected," it reads.

It then provides graphic examples of alleged abuse of animals in classroom settings, including a snake being microwaved, chinchillas being beaten, acid being poured on pigs and a lamb being duct-taped to the outside of the building and "left alone overnight in freezing temperatures."
 

The reading is filled with emotionally charged words and phrases in an obvious attempt to sway children's feelings.

"I was disgusted, appalled and in complete disbelief that a school would basically send home a guide on how to kill household pets. My husband after first reading it thought it was a handout from PETA not school work," Fiorillo told EAGnews.

But it was school work. Students then answer questions about the reading, including, "What is the main idea of the article? Use evidence from the text to support your answer."

"Why do you think the author chose this text structure? How does using this text structure help you understand more about keeping animals in the classroom? Use evidence from the text to support your answer," is another series of questions.

Upset, Fiorillo emailed the teacher with her concerns but it went unreturned. Fiorillo says her husband visited the principal to do the same. She says the principal was "shocked and made facial expressions like he was in awe."

"The principal actually said to my husband that this was part of the common core curriculum," Fiorillo told EAGnews.

The informational text appears to be lifted directly from a PETA website called PETAkids.com.

"There is no reason for a child to see this. If it involved reading comprehension there are many other topics that would have worked," Fiorillo said.

http://eagnews.org/fourth-graders-forced-to-read-graphic-peta-propaganda-under-the-guise-of-common-core/