Accept the CHAlleNGE and Embrace the Change

The Common Core standards tend to be a controversial topic of conversation.  I thought it would be interesting to read an article titled  "The Common Core Explained".  This piece provided me with great insight about the background, purpose, and reasons for the backlash against the Common Core.  As I am getting deeper into my studies and my major classes, I keep hearing my professors say that it is essential for teachers to be able to cope with change.  Since education is usually a political issue, changes for education could be passed into law at any given time and it is teachers' responsibility to adapt and incorporate the new methods. 

In 2009, North Carolina was one of several states to adopt this curriculum.  The purpose of it was to get all of the states on the same page, as far as what they were teaching the students in the classroom.  Common Core was designed to have an appropriate list of expectations for the students at every grade level and to keep the states accountable for what they were teaching in their schools.  However, Common Core challenges not only the students to think on a deeper level, but the educators to integrate other subjects into their core lessons as well.  As a couple years passed, states started to back out of their agreement of adoption for this curriculum because the primary grade level teachers were complaining that the students were not developmentally ready to learn these standards at the depth that the Common Core expected.  Also, from a political point of view, since the federal government had gotten involved when developing the Common Core, many states thought that was a violation of their rights.  Fast forwarding to today, politicians and education activists are discussing whether or not to be a Common Core state in the coming future.  As a future teacher, I have to acknowledge the fact that education will always be a major political issue and because of that I have to be innovative with my perceptions and teaching techniques for education.   

During the introduction to all of my education classes, we discussed the traits that a good teacher must possess.  A couple that I found most important were, teachers have to be caring, knowledgeable about the content, approachable, enthusiastic, and flexible with their schedule. A powerful quote that I found by Nelson Mandela says "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Although this takes on a different context to change as I was discussing before, this quote is very motivational for me as I pursue my future career.  Change is inevitable, it is how you handle it that will make a difference.