Who's the Liar?

You must decide who is lying? Reeves' appointee to the Head of the Senate Ed Committee who supposedly knows what is in the bill and has no Republican opposition for the August primaries or Reeves, who is up for re-election and has an opponent?

Friends, if you remotely keep up with the local news, then I'm sure you have read or heard that the legislature passed a bill that would end Common Core. Lt. Gov Tate Reeves is responsible for that lie. You see, it's election year and like many politicians, he will say what he needs to say to get re-elected. He's hoping you are fools enough not to notice. And he's relying on the media to quote him and his colleagues instead of quoting the actual bill, itself. He trusts the media too much and they trust him too much.

I've read SB 2161. There is no language in the bill that actually repeals nor prohibits MS from CC standards and the plethora of federal mandates that are attached to CC. Simply put, this bill says "we don't have to call it Common Core State Standards any more." So, they decided to call it Mississippi College and Career Readiness. You will find many other states who have similar names by means of the same process. And this bill appoints a Commission of such to research standards and make recommendations to the MS DoE. These recommendations can either rid the state of CC or keep them.

If you are still reading, let me introduce another key player in this. I would like to introduce you to Senator Gray Tollison. He is Reeves' appointee as Chair of the Senate Education Committee. Did you catch that?...Chair of the Senate Education Committee. With that appointment, he should know what is actually in the bill since he's responsible for presenting it to the Senate for a vote. Oh, and a side note about Tollison, 2 days after he won his 5th re-election as a Democrat, he announced his switch to the Republican Party, but I digress.
 
Yesterday, as Sen. Tollison was presenting the bill and taking questions from other Senators, he engaged in a somewhat heavy discussion with Senator Jordon of Greenwood. Sen Jordon wants to keep CCSS for MS. He was asking Sen. Tollison why MS was getting rid of CC so soon and not giving it a chance. The discussion went back and forth and it was obvious they were both frustrated with each other bc of their differing view points on this matter and the language in the bill.

It was at this time Sen. Tollison, (and let me emphasize again, Reeves' appointee as Chair of the Senate Ed Committee) with exasperation ended his debate with Sen. Jordon by saying "Again, Mr. Jordon, nobody is getting rid of anything." Please note the use of "again" in his statement. He was emphasizing to Sen Jordon, yet again, that this bill does not repeal CC in MS.

Now, you must decide who is lying?....Reeves' appointee as Chair of the Senate Ed Committee who supposedly knows what is in the bill and has no Republican opposition for the primaries in August or Reeves, who is up for re-election and has an opponent?

Best vs Best

It's not unusual for me to wake up in the morning and just lay here thinking about my family and current events of life. So, this morning, one of the thoughts that came to me was "when did the schools become so worried with their ranking?" Growing up, I was either blind to it or we didn't have it bc I don't ever remember waking up in elementary or high school so excited to be attending an "A or B" ranked school. I knew I was going to a good school bc I enjoyed my teachers and... the overall experience. I may be wrong, but I just don't see high schoolers caring, even today, what ranking their school is unless the staff and admins build it up to the point that the student can't seem to get away from it.

You see, this ranking system isn't about the students. It's about bragging rights and money. Sure, it's great when a school earns good reviews and they can acknowledge the success of their students and teachers but to acknowledge them with a "rank or grade" isn't always telling of the lives inside of that school.

The idea of these rankings being tied to these test, no longer makes schools accountable to the students, it makes the students accountable to the schools. It's no longer about what the school can do for the student but what can the student do for the school. The pressure to perform becomes the key element in learning. It's no longer about doing your best but about always being the best. Doing your best can't always be measured with a ranking or grade. And it certainly shouldn't be tied to tests that dictate those rankings and funds.

I heard 2 moms talking at our baseball game last night. They were frustrated with the amount of homework their children had this weekend and all other nights. While they might not be pressuring their children to be the best in their school, the schools are pressuring the kids to make them a highly ranked school. These parents were recollecting the days they enjoyed school and didn't remember having to do this much work and taking these many tests. I highly doubt they went to a ranked school, either. And you know, these parents are successful. One even owns her own business that is thriving.

JFK had it right about our country, he was referring to adults, grown citizens. But as we rear our children to be responsible citizens and adults...we shouldn't be asking what our children can do for our schools but what can our schools do for our children. Those rankings fall on the shoulders of our most vulnerable and that is no burden a child, who needs to enjoy learning should have to deal with.

And for the record, I'm not advocating mediocrity in the system, I believe children need to be and should be encouraged to do their best but that is a different facet in life then pressuring children to be the best.

....This blog is going to be random to those who don't know my fight against Common Core.  Common Core is one of the reasons I pulled my children to homeschool them, however, it's not the only reason.  The federal government becoming more increasingly involved in schools is a reason also with Common Core being a venue in which they do it.  So many voters are simply ignorant, apathetic or both of the depth the Federal government has gone to involve itself in the every day routine of the public school classroom.  If you are true, grassroots conservative, then you should familiarize yourself to the issues of Common Core and No Child Left Behind.  If you unwillingly do not, I consider you apathetic.  Harsh, maybe, but it's your tax money and the future of our nation that is at stake and to turn a blind eye is irresponsible.