A new educational standard called Common Core was established across the United States in 2009, and has been more frequently used and seen in the media in the past year. According to the website of the San Francisco Public School District, Common Core is defined as a learning method that will “[prepare] our young people for the world of tomorrow.” But with a technique that is supposed to assist students with solving problems, why does it seem so difficult?

The first half of the school year has brought a fresh start to each student’s busy schedule and it seems as if the amount of homework given has increased over the past few years. I find this to be especially true in regards to elementary and middle school children. Upon glancing at my siblings’ classwork, I found myself confused because the content of their studies appeared different from what I had learned in grade school, several years ago. Visual maps and representation of basic arithmetic stared back at me, and for once in my life, I could not explain addition and subtraction to my younger brother. Before I’m frowned upon for being clueless about how to solve equations that involve adding five and seven, let me explain why first grade arithmetic has gotten me into a fumble.

Upon researching, I discovered that I was not the only individual to become riled up by simply looking at homework exercises; it turns out that many parents have shared their animosity toward the teachers and school districts practicing Common Core, mainly through social media sites like
Facebook.

One angry parent from Ohio recently posted a photo of a check, made out to his child’s elementary school. There’s a catch – the check was written using a form of box-style numbering patterns called the “Multiplication Graphic Box Longform Method,” in which students would use those boxes to multiply equations and take a portion from each number, rather than the more familiar, simplified stacking method. Another frustrated parent took their child’s schoolwork and left a message to the teacher in place of the answer, claiming that “the process used is ridiculous and would result in termination,” if she were to use the method in a professional setting.

There have been reports made by teachers practicing Common Core, and some say the new method has helped them become a better educator to their students. Although a large amount of parents dislike Common Core, perhaps they aren’t fully aware of what can be accomplished by using the special teaching style. Students learn in different ways; portions of students are good visual learners, others work better in groups, or individually, with their attention focused solely on the instructor.

Despite the backlash against participating school districts, Common Core has actually helped children to gain a better understanding of arithmetic. The factor of success with this method though, is most likely dependent upon the child, since each student is different.

Regardless of the measures that people have taken to stop Common Core from being taught, its main purpose is to teach children how to solve real-life situations after their education. Personally, I don’t believe that teaching children math by using a 10-step process is reasonable, but it’s up to each educator and parent to decide whether or not the teaching style is successful to children in the newer generation.