From a parent and educator’s point of view…
Since very early drafts of the Common Core State Standards,
I have been involved with reviewing, presenting, and helping educate others on
the Common Core. Most of my work was
done as a consultant at the Kentucky Department of Education, where we provided
feedback to early drafts, brought teachers together to provide feedback,
presented to various audiences at local, state and national conferences,
deconstructed the standards, created learning plans and units for the standards,
and created assessments for the standards. Basically, I spent the past three years
of my life immersed in work related to these standards.
Consequently, when I was asked by a teacher and parent liaison at my son’s elementary school to provide an overview for parents at the next PTA/curriculum night, I jumped at the opportunity and quickly spouted out three or four ideas I could use based on all my previous presentations. This very kind and calm teacher and parent liaison gently reminded me that my audience would be different because it would not consist entirely of educators but of normal parents who just wanted to know what their children would be learning in the next few years.
Consequently, when I was asked by a teacher and parent liaison at my son’s elementary school to provide an overview for parents at the next PTA/curriculum night, I jumped at the opportunity and quickly spouted out three or four ideas I could use based on all my previous presentations. This very kind and calm teacher and parent liaison gently reminded me that my audience would be different because it would not consist entirely of educators but of normal parents who just wanted to know what their children would be learning in the next few years.
This changed everything.
Although I had been involved with the PTA off and on over the years and
had spent many hours volunteering at the elementary school, I realized the need to
think carefully about my audience for this presentation. In the weeks leading to PTA night, I spent hours retooling powerpoint slides I
had created for previous regional, state and national presentations. My three younger adult sisters kept popping
into my head, and they became my goal post for considering my audience. After learning we would have a translator
present on PTA night, my audience goal post expanded, and I grew more excited
with the challenge of helping fellow parents understand what our children would
learn in the coming months and years.
My foray into helping parents understand the Common Core was
not only exciting but also enlightening because I reconsidered the responsibility
I have as an educator to make sure my colleagues in education understand the
standards alone will not make a difference.
Effective teaching and learning practices will make the difference in
knowing our children are ready for the world which awaits them beyond their
K-12 schooling experience and we don’t have to wait to show our children this
world.
