Addressing the contention about Florida State Standards, FSS, (otherwise known as federally mandated Common Core), we are aware of the consensus that Santa Rosa County is not pleased their students will be taught FSS from Kindergarten through 12th grade beginning this school year. It’s no surprise to us. However well spoken a person may be in trying to validate the mandated standards, standardized testing has never helped a student achieve a well-rounded education, nor will it ever. Teacher evaluations used to reflect how well students achieve grades on such a test does not encourage a teacher to their best performance as an educator. It is beyond our comprehension as to why anyone would believe this to be true. As to shaping a curriculum to teach students workforce skills, this is a positive impact for the future of the country, state and county. However, changing the core of mathematic instruction and deleting phonics from the classroom and replacing it with ‘site words’ can tie parents’ hands in assisting their children with homework. Frustrating both student and parent is a bad idea. Lessening the importance of classic literature takes away creative thinking skills, reading competency skills, and critical thinking. Of course it is not lost on us the county received major funding to implement these ‘standards’ upon our children. There is a reason the old fashioned way of teaching worked. It prepared our students for college and career, vocation, and homemaking. When the older generation left high school, they felt completely capable of making their way in the world: being able to fill out a check and balance a check book, make dinner and do their own housekeeping. They knew you cannot spend more than you make and survive financially. They read classic literature and understood the meaning behind the story. With this ‘old’ way of educating, the United States achieved greatness with ingenuity and integrity. Let’s not streamline our children with standardized methods of learning unsure of what the outcome may be.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Our View: Florida State Standards lacks validation