In Anne Arundel County, Md., parents say their kids are cancelling music lessons and after-school sports programs so they can study for the increased number of tests they take in school in order to prepare for tests that supposedly align to the Common Core State Standards, the Capital Gazette reports.
I have some idea of why this is happening.
On the Facebook group page started by a parent quoted in the article, here, known as Parental Awareness of Common Core, Anne Arundel County, Md., we find this example of “homework” given to fourth graders at one school in Anne Arundel County. The question reads:
A total of 115 trophies were purchased for the basketball league. Each box holds 5 trophies. How many trophies will be in the [sic] each box [sic]?
I don’t even know where to begin. But work like this could be why kids in Anne Arundel County schools have to spend too much time on homework.
First of all, the sloppiness of this assignment probably indicates that the teacher or district office person who made up this homework assignment didn’t have time to proofread it, but that only makes it more frustrating for kids who have to read it. That doesn’t, on its own, take them away from music or sports.
Second, the answer is given, so this homework question is a complete waste of time, which students could use taking music lessons or keeping physically fit or playing or … you name it. Anything but this. This homework assignment hasn’t taught kids one single thing about problem solving. And that means, teachers will have to give kids another homework assignment to teach what this one was supposed to teach. That’s just a waste of time.
Kids have better things to do, and unless teachers get with it and produce some stuff that makes good use of kids’ time, we’re going to have a revolt on our hands. I don’t really think it’s fair to say this is happening because of the learning standards in the Common Core. Rather, teachers have not been given enough time to prepare their lessons, homework assignments, and so on, and they are therefore wasting kids’ time without actually teaching them anything.