Being a student in New York City is no easy feat, and being a high school student is no less hard. The moment you enter the Middle School phase you’re introduced to an entirely foreign obstacle, Common Core exams. It doesn’t take long to figure out that these tests aren’t your typical run-of-the-mill state test. In the case of some students the Common Core’s reinforced emphasis on the major four subjects is a welcoming notion, but in the case of others whose strengths rest in subjects that aren’t supported by Common Core, the experience can prove to be miserable.
And as your school’s academic agenda is refitted to include Common Core standards, suddenly you find yourself sitting in a test room instead of a classroom for an entire school
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However, less easy to digest is the fact that much of the school year is dedicated either to adopting Common Core standards or to reviewing Common Core material. In my experience Common Core standards reduce the role of teachers to mere puppets, spewing random lessons directly from a book that they’ve never used or seen before in their lives. And of course, while some students learn to adjust to the new material, others fail miserably, in that they struggle and struggle but are forced in a position where struggling often times risks being left behind. A confused student suddenly becomes a lost cause, as the issue of passing as many students as possible clouds the judgement of many teachers. Last year I happened to be that confused student, and I was forced to watch on the sidelines as my fellow peers engaged in what could only be called a crude interpretation of Darwin’s “Survival of the Fittest.” And like me, many New York students were reminded time and time again of the city’s No Child Left Behind doctrine, and yet I continued to struggle throughout the school year, sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss, until I found myself staring at my Common Core