The Common Core State Standards

Hate it? Love it?

The general consensus seems to be the negative. If you are not familiar with or are confused about Common Core State Standards (CCSS), allow me to give you a brief summary. CCSS is the latest national educational reform. Every state has had its own academic standards. State standards are deemed necessary because they hold the teachers accountable and they provide some sort of uniformity.  They are not new. They've been around for who knows how long. But national standards... that's something new.

CCSS is unique because 48 out of the 50 US states have chosen to adopt them as their state standards, hence aligning the standards across most of the country. The idea behind that is if a student moves from one state to another, he/she will still be taught the same standards, and students across the nation will graduate having received the same education. Or something like that.

CCSS is also different because each grade level standards build on one another and are meant to spiral (meaning the previously taught content will be re-applied continuously rather than being taught once and not be seen again).

Furthermore, CCSS is designed to not only cover more standards but to dig deeper into those standards. For example, my 2nd graders need to know how to add and subtract 3 digit numbers within 1,000 (345 + 696 = ___). Not a big deal, right? Well, here is what CCSS is asking: students need to explain HOW they got their answer and WHY that is the answer. So in taking the math problem above, students would have to explain why 5 + 6 is 11 and how and why you make a set of 10 from the 11 and carry the set of 10 to the tens place, blah blah blah. They need to do this with base ten drawings, number lines, or whatever strategy that floats their boat. As long as it provides evidence of their answer.

I'm no CCSS expert, by any means. I'm still trying to understand the complexity of it. And I'm not here to say it's bad or good. Am I a fan? Eh. I don't love it but I don't hate it either. I see both the pros and cons, but there will ALWAYS be pros and cons to any educational reforms.Whether it's No Child Gets Left Behind or CCSS or whatever comes next.

We can cry all we want about how CCSS will ruin our children's education, how it's promoting socialism, or how CCSS only works for higher students. Personally, as a parent, CCSS is the least of my concerns. I am more concerned about my daughter's teacher's ability to teach (she is AMAZING, by the way). The teacher is the heart of the classroom, not the standards. The teacher's attitude, integrity, work ethics, knowledge, and her ability to differentiate, scaffold, and deliver will have more effect on our children's education than any state or national standards. No matter what the standards are, no matter what changes take place, an effective teacher will make them work.

I suggest we all just quit whining and go spy on our child's teacher instead. :)

Thanks for reading!

Are You Guys Going To Have More Kids?

I get this question A LOT. And it keeps escalating as our only child gets older (she's 6 1/2). I used to answer "Yes" and leave it at that, thinking that should suffice. More often than not though, people probe for more information and I get the second most frequently asked question: Are you guys trying?

It's a question I consider very personal, and I remember being appalled the very first time I got asked. Over the years, however, the constancy of this question has led me to think that either I'm wrong or too many people have no sense of propriety. I've tried avoiding this question, but I usually end up being gifted with unsolicited advice, such as "Better sooner than later." "You should really have at least two."  "She's going to want a sibling." Lack of propriety, I say.

The audacity of these people used to irritate me because it was none of their business but also because they were hitting a very sore spot. It wasn't until much later I realized that these people may be meddlesome but it was unintentional. How could they have possibly known they were entering a sensitive territory? I may always get these questions, but maybe giving them an honest, direct answer will at least ease my irritation and help me overcome the sensitivity of this subject.

So, here is the answer: we would love to have more children but for some unexplained reason, we cannot get pregnant. My husband and I have both been medically examined and everything came out normal. We got pregnant with our daughter by some miracle and that was my last pregnancy. Some of you know we've had this struggle, but I haven't ever shared much and I think it's time to open up some more.

Dealing with infertility prior to my daughter's birth was hard, to say the least, and it was the reason I avoided the questions. I hid it from both friends and family. I didn't want them feeling sorry for me and I didn't want them to feel uncomfortable around me when they share news of their little bundles of joy or invite me to baby showers.

After my daughter was born, I thought my infertile days were over and we would be blessed with more children. Wrong. But unlike before, I didn't bother hiding it. As mentioned earlier, it was too irritating and too stressful, and I didn't want to deal with those questions again.

In some ways, it has been harder facing infertility the second time around. It's no longer just my husband and me who longs for another baby. Our daughter hurts for a little sibling. I didn't realize how badly she wanted a sibling until she was 3. While her friends had imaginary friends, Asia had imaginary siblings. She would pretend she was teaching her little sister how to play the piano, read, do math, etc. It was adorable but saddening. She also had tried getting her friends to agree to be her sister. She got one particular friend to be her sister but when the friend decided she no longer wanted to be sisters with Asia, Asia was deeply hurt (the friend did have 3 sisters of her own, after all). It has been heart wrenching to see her loneliness and I'm more than sorry for not being able to give her something that is so important to her.

We've considered fertility treatments and adoption, and we've appreciated the advice and suggestions given by caring friends and family. Nonetheless, we don't feel a strong inclination towards those paths. For whatever reason, we feel we are to let this be.

We hope and pray for more children, but if they never come, we find comfort in our little miracle child. We're also aware that there are other ways to mother and father besides giving birth. I have a classroom full of children I teach and mother, and I'm thankful I have them. I'm also quick to steal other people's babies to get my baby fix. I actually enjoy seeing other babies, hearing pregnancy news from friends and family, and going to baby showers. I oddly find them consoling.

So, if you have a little baby and ever need a babysitter, give me a holler. You would be doing me a favor. ;)

Thanks for reading.

Too Personal For Facebook

I used to keep a family blog. I was actually addicted to it.  Facebook put an end to that. With Facebook being more popular and easier to update, my blogging days were buried.

There is one problem with Facebook though. I, for one, am constantly thinking and find myself wanting to share some of those thoughts but deem them too personal for Facebook. So, here I am, turning to a more private platform and resurrecting my blog with a new title.

In addition to aforementioned reason, I'm starting this blog to resuscitate my writing skills. I haven't written anything of substance since my college years, and I'm afraid you, the poor readers, will see the effects of it. No judging.

This blog won't be about what we are up to (you see plenty of that on Facebook) but about my musings and epiphanies, and my struggles and triumphs. I will be real and honest. Many people seem to be putting on facades these days, too scared to show their weaknesses. We all have them, yet putting on a perfect image has become the norm in our society. Personally, I feel trusted, even honored, when someone shares their weakness with me. They trust that I won't judge them and will accept them for who they are.  I also find relief, knowing I'm not the only person with a particular struggle and we end up forming a bond, a connection.

With that said, I hope you will find something here that resonates with you and find comfort. If not, I would still like you to stick around. You can simply offer encouragement and advice, or you can just be one of those silent stalkers. Thanks for reading.