OPINION PIECE: Your Children are YOURS

I hear many questions about what to do about Common Core and how it affects our children and families. One that keeps coming up is "Well, what can I do about this program or that program? How can I stop my child from being affected by it?"

At what point did YOUR child become a ward of the state? At what point when you put them on that yellow school bus and sent them on their way did you cease to be in charge?

A very smart woman said that when you give away the control you give away the power. But why are we giving away the control of our children? If the school board or district you are in says they can't do something, do it yourself! There are MANY ways in which YOU can make decisions about your child and their future.

Contrary to what many politicians say, including Governor Bobby Jindal, R-La, our children are not put on this planet to further the US workforce. They are not here to compete globally. They are not here to become worker bees for huge global companies. They are NOT government pawns. Maybe that's what you want for your children, but for mine I dream of creativity, goals, individuality, and I pray they follow in the path of developing Godly character, always striving to do what is right. 

Contrary to what Melissa Harris-Perry says, your children are YOURS. You have the power! Use it! If you do not want your children involved in certain aspects of public education, do not let them. Sex Education Standards? Find out what’s being taught! Tell the school you want your child opted out. Find out what surveys they take and tell the school you want them all sent home before your child fills them out. Find out what assessments are actually high stakes tests and OPT YOUR CHILD OUT. High stakes means the teachers jobs and school funding are tied to it and/or your child must pass test to pass grade. There are not as many high stakes tests as you think, and you need to find out which ones are so you can opt your child out. Simply contact your teacher, principal and for good measure, send a copy of your letter to the school board, state school board and state superintendent. If you need some guidance on how to do this, please see http://unitedoptout.com/get-tough-guide/ and their wonderful resources on how to reclaim what is rightfully yours--your child's education and your freedom to choose it.

Get INVOLVED in your local school boards and see what happens at meetings. Get to know the members and how they feel. Ask questions, ask for black and white proof of what is happening in schools. Call them on their actions, hold them accountable, and show up. At schools, at meetings, everywhere you can. You can’t go to everything, or you’ll stress yourself out and defeat the purpose if you’ve no time for the very babies you are trying to protect. But pick what your passionate about and run with it.

Some will say to just pull your child and home school. I did. Maybe it's right for you. Maybe it's NOT. Maybe you live in a state where home schooling is just as regulated as public school and you are still subject to Common Core and it's many tentacles. Home schooling is NOT the answer for everyone. It's not that it's impossible for everyone, but it just may not be a good fit for some families and I see NO shame in admitting that as a parent. But if you can and feel it's best for your family, do it! Pull your child and home school. This monstrosity that is Common Core, High Stakes Testing, Fed-Ed cannot continue if students are not in the chairs and tests are not being taken. 

There is a slippery slope one goes down in learning about Common Core and all it involves. It's hard to un-learn it. Sometimes I wish I could, I admit. It's nice to live on Denial Street where I can stick my head in the sand. But it's not safe. It's not a free place. When you give them all the control, you lose the power to make decisions, the power to think, the power to LIVE. Don't let them do that to you. Start standing up for yourself, your children, your tax dollars!

You don't have to be loud. Definitely don't be rude. But be firm. I like to look at the powers that be and government as toddlers....would you let a toddler eat all the candy they want just because they asked nicely or made a sweet face at you? No, because it's not good for them and you know it will have bad repercussions. So why do we let them take our children's future because they smile sweetly and spout out statistics that have absolutely no factual bearing whatsoever? We know where it will lead and it won't be a land of liberty and justice.

Take your power back, just a little bit at a time. I'd like you to read the lyrics to one of my very favorite songs, "Freedom" by Amos Lee. I'm not sure his intention of this song because as is in many of his lyrics, it can be widely interpreted. (It is good to note Lee was a former elementary teacher before trying the musician gig full time.) But I listen to this now with new ears. It's a great listen if you wish to look it up.

"Freedom" 
 Don't wanna be a martyr in this war 
Don't wanna hear the same excuses anymore 
That everything's a threat 
And it's only gonna get worse if we let it 
 Don't wanna blame the rich for what they got 
Don't point a finger at the poor for what they have not 
Though the politician and the priest 
Live in the belly of the beast because we fed it 
 Freedom is seldom found By beating someone to the ground 
Telling them how everything is gonna be now, yeah 
 Now if the tables were turned tell me how you would feel 
Somebody busted up into your house telling you to stay still 
While the leaders will deny defeat Innocents they testify by dying in the street 
 Freedom is seldom found By beating someone to the ground 
Telling them how everything is gonna be now 

Don't let your babies be the innocent dying in the street of this war. Don't let them push you around and convince you that because you're just a parent you don't know what's best. Trust yourself. Trust your instinct. Trust in God.

Amy Dutsch
Founder, Parents and Educators Against Common Core Standards in Louisiana
Admin: Parents and Educators Against Common Core Standards

Unintended Consequences

As you may know, children with special needs are one of our BIG concerns here at PEACCS. This blog post is a must read. I read it when it was first written, as the mother is an acquaintance of mine and a fantastic supporter and fighter for special needs children, not just her own. Her letter should say it all and in the end, she is a great mom doing her son a great service by fighting for him!

After the jump: http://dianeravitch.net/2013/11/05/academic-standards-and-a-boy-with-autism/

~~Amy

Postcards from the Edge

I recently attended a workshop put on by a special education advocacy group. The workshop was intended to introduce us special ed parents to how to navigate the 'major shifts in implementing common core standards.'.

I went, with my full bias against Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and I took as many notes as I could. There was a slide show which is supposedly going to be available electronically. If it does not become available soon I will scan the paper handouts we were given to go along with it.

Here I will try to provide my notes and what links they provided.

The "quotes" may not be DIRECT and PERFECT quotes but as close as I could get writing them out. The workshop leaders were two women from the Louisiana State Dept. of Ed, Debra Dixon and Nanette Olivier.

The word "RIGOR" was mentioned 12 times. In 90 minutes.

Quotes:

"CCSS is best led by teachers."
"Those students participating in PARCC assessments have accommodations available." So does this imply if you are a special ed student who refuses to take PARCC for any reason, you won't get any classroom accommodations as well?

"Intent is not to bring students down {in scores}".

From Jim Garvey, "BESE's feeling is expectations are raised, or scores will be similar as now. Not going to be a big drop in scores. Shouldn't be an increase in students failing the LEAP. What's considered passing is going to change. Maybe in the future we will raise the bar of the equivalent to the LEAP. I don't think you're going to see a change. We're not going to punish the students for that, or the schools. This is what we think is coming."

Um what? First off the first part of what he said was confusing and not clear. Secondly, what they THINK is coming? It's clear they don't know what they're doing.

"PARCC (and any standardized test) is a snapshot of the student, a narrow set of skills we look at. It's a small % of the child's growth."

"We have so much technology that we need to use." 
Right, meanwhile parents must buy their own assistive technology for their special needs student.

"CCSS is not a curriculum, it's a set of standards."
 We all know that party line. I will say it until I"m blue int the face, STANDARDS ALWAYS BEGET CURRICULUM.

This one is one of the best....
 "If we have concerns about education, IEPs, etc, we are always "welcome to contact the help desk at LaSDE." 

I'll wait while you pick yourself up from the laughter.

"How do we implement the standards?" (There was no answer.)

"Teachers really want your child to succeed." Well duh. Teachers don't do this job for the glory of snot on their shirts, they do it because they love what they do. But now, "teachers are even more accountable than ever." RIGHT, so THEIR job is dependant on our children's test scores and interaction in the classroom.

"It's never to early to prepare for PARCC on the IEP." Yup, nothing like high stakes testing for a child who's developmentally delayed.

"We've been spending too much time reading fiction over nonfiction." Um. Shut the front door. This is the part of the workshop that got me fired up and first spoke out. Are you freaking KIDDING ME? Classic literature is the backbone of classic education. 50/50 fiction/nonfiction for K-6, 70/30 nonfiction/fiction for 9-12. (gradual shift between 6-12). 70%. Still boggles my mind.

"We're asking kids to read more analytical texts." Right because every great artist was supported by reading welding technical manuals.

For the math standards, "emphasis on digging deep." Yeah, that's clear.

"Parents should always ask, "What is the priority for my child?" in an IEP." Again, most parents do this. But the school administrations do not make this easy, never have and I suspect never will. 

One of my favorites was the horrahing of St. Tammany Parish School Boards work in getting assistive technology in the classroom. CLEARLY, they have never listened to the stories about parents having to provide their own iPads, PECS programs and so on. I will say there are some AMAZING staff, teachers, therapists, and providers in the St. Tammany Parish system, including a dedicated AT specialist. But to say the school board provides these things as truly needed is a flat out LIE. It's not the fault of the therapists, it's the fault of the higher ups who argue the money game. Forget it's a child's right due to IDEA or their IEP. 

And my very favorite, they were quite clear and proud to make SURE we knew "Debra and Nanette did NOT say you can opt out of the PARCC assessments." They wanted that made very very clear. So clear it was almost as if they had someone breathing down their neck to make SURE we parents knew we couldn't opt out....I wonder who that could be. *cough cough, NGA, Tides Foundation, John White, Jindal, cough cough*.

So when your child who's in fourth grade but is at a 1st grade level developmentally fails the PARCC and struggles daily with the curriculum, (which is not written by the CCSS, even though its found on the Louisiana Believes website, until they realize we know and they scrub the site.), but when your child fails the PARCC and must be remediated, you be SURE to remind them that Debra and Nanette said, "Promotion and retention are decided at a local level."

And don't forget the rigor.

I need a drink.

Louisiana BESE Board Meeting April 17, 2013

Louisiana, look at what your board members are saying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9zQXbdfuD4&feature=player_embedded