Common Core Standards

I really did not expect to like this article. However, I ended up liking the ideas portrayed in this article. I feel like that there is such an emphasis on the Common Core Standards that some teachers almost get swept up with them. The article really helped me see how the CCSS were actually somewhat helpful. The article mentions that the Common Core State Standards are here to help enhance the teacher's curriculum. I also like how the article points out that we as teachers get to choose our material regardless of the CCSS. We are responsible for choosing our texts that we assign as well as assorted medias. I think it's vital that we as teachers choose texts we like and that our students can relate to. It's impossible for every single student in our class to like every book we assign. However, if we assign a variety of genres, students may find a liking to at least one. I think it's also important that we assign books that students can relate to pop culture today. As teachers, we can also assign projects that have students find connections between the book and pop culture today. This will promote understanding which could lead a student to like the book. We can easily incorporate the CCSS into books that are more recent in publication and heavy with information and issues that can be analyzed.  In the article, there is a line that says: "Sometimes as new or student teacher you face the challenge of operating in spaces and curricula over which you have little control". I think this is extremely true. However, this also gives us an opportunity to try out new things and see what does and does not work. If the school you are working at wants you to have a curriculum that is directly aligned with the CCSS, we as teachers can find creative ways to incorporate them into our classrooms. I really liked the story in this article about the teacher teaching her students how to write a five paragraph essay by using topics they found interesting. I think by doing things like this, the CCSS can become less of a burden and more of a help to us as teachers in the classroom.