Upper Grades Exchange - For teachers of grades 4 and up - From The Mailbox, the #1 idea magazine for teachers®.

Easing Parent Concerns Over Common Core

Posted on | September 12, 2012 | No Comments

common coreLast night I attended my youngest son’s first-grade open house. It was held in the school’s media center (what we used to call a library), not in the classrooms, and served as more of an explanation about the differences between kindergarten and first grade than a meet-and-greet. The open house introduced me to a first-grade teaching team wrestling with implementation of the Common Core State Standards.

First-grade teachers are implementing only the math standards this school year, a district-wide plan, from what I understand. Already, just two weeks into the year, they’ve encountered a few dramatic differences, including what math concepts are being taught when, and how best to teach these concepts after doing things differently for so long.

“Please let us know when your child is struggling with their homework, especially math,” we parents were told. “We need to know. And we expect it,” they added.

I could feel the unease around me. As a parent, former educator, and editor at The Mailbox, there was a lot I wanted to stand up and add to the discussion, both to calm parents’ uncertainty and help the teacher team with their job.

Have you encountered pushback or concern from parents over the new common core standards? Share your ideas for explaining it to parents.

Category: Current Events, Data Driven Decision Making, Education Reform, Ideas, Math
Tags: > > > > > > >

Comments

Leave a Reply

The Mailbox encourages users to add comments to our blog. The Mailbox will review all comments before posting and The Mailbox may edit your comment for clarity or errors. Please keep in mind that only relevant comments will be posted. Comments that are questionable, contain off-topic material, or are disrespectful to the authors or other users will not be accepted. We reserve the right to retire any content once a topic becomes inactive.

  • Visit The Mailbox Online

    www.themailbox.com.

  • About the Upper Grades Exchange Blog


    My name is Todd Savelle, caretaker of The Upper Grades Exchange blog from The Mailbox. The Exchange is where grades 4 through 8 teachers can find the ideas, solutions, and inspiration that make the middle years of a child’s education easier and more fun. Share your teaching tips and classroom management techniques, engage in lively discussions about current education issues, and engage with your peers with ideas for supplementing today’s fluid curriculum. Upper Grades Exchange will make you think of The Mailbox in a whole new way.

  • Pages

  • Tags