The Old Way Vs. The New Way infographic

Welcome to the age of hyper-parenting and pressurized schools. What can we do to return the child to childhood? The Old Way Vs. The New Way infographic explores how the common core might be affecting childrens' learning in a negative way.

The New Way: Parenting as product development

Micromanagement impedes a child’s ability to learn on their own.
Hyper-parenting involves wanting to give our children “perfect” childhoods.
The goal is to be the best. But we’re sacrificing depth for breadth.

Why?

Consumerism: We want perfect teeth, perfect vacations, a perfect home, and perfect kids.
Lack of Confidence: Less Children + At an older age = Less Chances to Parent
Competition: Globalization means you have to be top notch to get ahead.

Slow parenting doesn’t have to mean slower development, it’s just proceeding at a natural pace. Children need time to :

Read
Write
Think
Dream
Draw
Build
Create
Pretend
Play = the most natural way to learn…

Old Way Vs. New Way

Even when you take steps to de-stress your kid’s life at home, common core threatens to destroy your kid’s childhood at school.

1. Kindergarten lesson on Frog and Toad Together

Old Student Task:
- Retell the story’s events (beginning, middle, and end)
- Identify characters and setting
Common Core Task:
- Compare and contrast Frog and Toad’s adventures and experiences.
- Collaborate with classmates to determine comparisons.

2. 2nd and 3rd grade lesson on Charlotte’s Web

Old Student Task:
- Who is telling the story?
- How does Charlotte feel at the end?
- How do you know?
Common Core Task:
- What is your point of view about Wilbur?
- How is it different from Fern’s point of view about Wilbur?
- How is it different from the narrator’s point of view?

3. 2nd and 3rd grade lesson on Apollo 11 (spaceship):

Old Student Task:
- What is the spacecraft called?
- What are the names of the three astronauts?
Common Core Task:
What is the author trying to convey when he says,”these men are dressed for colder, stranger places. They walk with stiff awkward steps…?”
What makes the voyage an important historical event?

Common Core was meant to elevate higher level thinking, but simply raising the bar doesn’t help more kids succeed. By forcing a harder curriculum: Many students fall even farther behind –> Get discouraged –> And drop out

The aim of common core is to increase STEM proficiencies and higher level thinking. Then why do many of America’s most well-educated parents: