Connecticut Teachers Rally Against Common Core – Here’s Why You Need to Care

On Tuesday, when classes finished for the day, 500 Connecticut teachers went from their classrooms to a rally at the state capitol in Hartford chanting, "Let Us Teach!"The educators were rallying to urge lawmakers to decrease the number of standardized tests given to public school students. Public school students around the state are taking the Smarter Balanced Test or SBAC which is linked to the Common Core State Standards. 

What is the "Common Core?" The "CC" is a set of college and career ready standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English language arts/literacy and mathematics.

According to the News-Times, Danbury teacher, Kevin Haddad said, "I'm here to show that teachers are invested and interested in changing the status quo that's happening in education right now. Testing is not learning."

When I asked a good friend of mine who's been teaching in public schools for years about her thoughts on Common Core Standards, the flood gates opened.

Check out what she told me:

"These standardized tests given all over America were designed by bureaucrats, technology and industry giants, without a single educator on the panels or even consulted for that matter. These tests are age inappropriate, untested, unreasonable and designed so that up to 70% of the students that take them, will fail them, so that districts can be accused of failing their students and forced to spend money buying more tests and technology to take the tests on. It's a one size fits all system, but kids are all unique. This 'teach to the test mentality' has actually been proven to injure children's development, not help it. They believe that every child needs to be trained to be an industrial drone. It denies creativity, self expression, right brained thinking for a non-holistic imbalanced left brain mold. Everyone should be protesting the standardized tests that are being foisted on our youth and demanding that only seasoned experienced, passionate, and dedicated educators are designing age appropriate measures of student achievement that can help children reach their educational, intellectual, and emotional potential!"

WOW! Teachers and/or parents, what is your take on Common Core Standards? For, against, don't care?