Common Core doesn't support creative learning

The aspiration of teaching is one to be admired and respected. This involves working with children and encouraging them to reach for their dreams.

Teachers operate from a sense of integrity. They feel passionate about the responsibility of guiding the next generation of American citizens. There is an intrinsic and irreplaceable value in teaching our children to think for themselves, to be creative and be individuals.

Common Core challenges that dream. These new state standards come from a progressive form of education, a common and group think, not individual and certainly not creative. It is intensified for both teacher and student with the implementation of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and it will impact our children’s sense of discovery.

These assessments have caused a huge amount of stress on our teachers and children. We know now that teachers are required to teach to the test, not to the children.

We knew it was coming. We saw it in the states that adopted Common Core ahead of us, but we have been in denial. Why? Because we trusted our local schools, our superintendent and our administration.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is a “field (research) test” and is not authorized without parental consent. This testing is not required, nor will it affect a child’s grade or deny him promotion to the next level. So why are they using this test?

As parents we have believed for too long that our schools would always be there for us while we were working hard to put food on our tables and pay the bills. We trusted through our taxes, the people that we elected into these positions would do their jobs. Whoever thought classical education would be replaced by one that claims to be “progressive”?

 — Kathy Titchbourne lives in Trego