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Brianna Wilson
Professor Johnson
English 112
23 March 2015

Scrapping the common core

The common core has been a constant debate since it was created. As every argument
there are two sides to it. There are the people who are for it and think it is a beautiful plan; and
there are others who completely disagree and want it gone. The common core is active in 48
states and the District of Columbia in the United States, but speaking in terms only for the state
of North Carolina the common core method has to go. The common core is not effective; it outs
limits on creative children, teachers have to teach subjects a certain way and parents have no
control over their childrens learning.
The common core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English
language arts/literacy according to the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National
Governors Association Center for Best Practices. Its purpose is to make sure every student
knows what they need to know in order to advance to the next grade level. It was also put into
place to save schools that have set high standards for their students to reach from looking bad
when many of the students do not meet those desired expectations. The common core is said to
be a revised version of the failed no child left behind act.
Every child learns differently. Some learn by taking notes, without needing a
demonstration. Others learn by doing examples over and over again, hands on or real life
examples. There are many children who learn on a faster pace than some in their class or they

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may learn at a slower pace. With that being said why is there a curriculum put in place that
makes every student learn the same way? The common core makes teachers teach certain
mathematics a certain way that some children may not understand. When you tell children how
to learn that limits their creativity. There could be a way that seems much easier to students that
they cannot express because that is not the proper way to solve the problem.
The common core only focuses on two of the four main subjects in school. English and
math are the only subjects the core focuses on. If the common core is supposed to better a child
for the future why does it only emphasize two subjects? Every subject students study in school
should better prepare them for life after high school not just math and English.
North Carolina put the common core into place on June 2, 2010. North Carolina senate
recently approved a bill repealing the common core. The bill is in place to get rid of the common
core in North Carolina (Khrais). The replacement for the failed common core is the revised
North Carolina standard course of study that was in place prior to the common core.
Math for years has had little to no change. The way one solves an algebra problem is
usually the same way their parent learned how to solve it, or so it was before the common core
came along. Common core is getting rid of simple shortcuts in math such as cross multiplying to
find the answers to fractions. How students find the answers to math problems have become
more difficult since the common core was put into place. Teachers now do not want the answer;
they want to know how one gets the answer as well. Explaining the steps can be very difficult for
some children, whether the case is the student guessed or simply cannot remember how the
problem got solved. With me recently graduating from high school I have been in many classes

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where the teacher rushes through a chapter just to say we did it, and when the test comes no one
knows the answers to those problems so the teacher curves the tests.
The methods which teachers now use make learning very difficult for the students. After
teaching a subject for years and have to suddenly change their way of teaching can become very
frustrating for teachers. Students are turning away from math solely because it has become so
hard now. Yes subjects should get more difficult the higher the grade level, but there should be
no reason why shortcuts cannot be used to help solve a problem. If the main goal is to have
students graduate and be prepared for life after high school why are teachers making it harder to
do that?
Parents are having a hard time adjusting to the common core just as much as the student
and teachers. Some parents have gone on to say that the common core has dumbed their child
down. Parent shave resulted in sending their children to private school because those institutions
are not affected by the common core. Private schools are expensive but they teachers have full
control over what and how they teach, as oppose to public school teachers who are controlled by
the state. Parents also feel that the work is too hard for their child for no reason, and it causes a
lot of stress on the children. So parents want the common core gone.
Some believe the common core will be very useful if used properly in the classroom.
Some say that common core will put creativity back in the classroom; which is true. If you have
to teach a brand new topic you have to think of a brand new way to do it. It opens up a lot of new
opportunities that were most likely not open before. The common core does challenge students in
ways they have never had to be challenged before. Explaining how the problem got solved can
cut down on cheating and the guessing game. It makes students get involved in their studies and

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realize that full credit comes from showing your work. Critical thinking is a big part of common
core and that part of it works. The common core makes learning more competitive for students.
Educators know how hard it is to get accepted into college, and they know you have to compete
with thousands of students wanting to get accepted. The main goal of the common core is career
readiness and the work field is very competitive. This method has many obstacles and there are
many negative things said behind it but nonetheless it does have some positives.
The common core will continue to be a constant debate among legislators and educators.
Many will continue to say it is too hard for children, teachers have no control and parents are left
out of the loop. While others will continue to disagree saying it challenges students, teachers
have full control over the curriculum and parents are just as involved now as they were before
the core was implemented. There will never be a clear resolution to this issue; both sides will
continue to disagree on every topic. Whether North Carolina gets rid of the common core of fins
another way to resolve the problems some are having. The greater good for students education
should be what is most important.

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Works Cited
Khrais, Reema. "North Carolina Senate Approves Bill Repealing Common Core." 10 July 2014.
www.wunc.org. Article. 20 March 2015.