“Your so full of what is right, you can’t see what is….good.” Neil Peart.
In chapter one of Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement, Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman retell a story of a Yale law student trying to help out the people of Newark, New Jersey. The law student learns an important lesson from “Queen Mother”, the leader of a particularly run down community. She takes him outside and asks what he sees…He only saw negativity, stuff you and I see in our own imaginations of similar communities.
Virginia Jones, the Queen Mother, explains to the student “…The world you see outside of you is a reflection of what you have inside you. If you are one of those people who only sees problems and darkness and despair, then that is all there is ever going to be for you. But if you are one of those people who sees hope, opportunity, and love, then you can make a difference.” (p. 8).
I like her song…
Throughout the United States, the Blogosphere, and the Twitterverse, there are many different songs and dances regarding the common core. I will likely play and dance to every song. I will likely create a song or two of my own.
I am making a purposeful decision to gain more knowledge in all things Common Core, especially regarding English Language Arts in middle school.
I can spend all my time criticizing the Common Core, sounding the horn of change. But I have never liked horns too much. With the exception of Charlie Parker and Miles Davis (ok, others, too), the horn is just to harsh and lacking nuance. It lacks a sense of humanity.
source: techsavvyed.net
Rather, I am more into percussion, the many divisions and subdivisions of rhythmic patterns. Percussion is rooted in the common heartbeat of humanity. Percussion is at our core (rimshot please!).
I am going to document my journey with the Common Core here for various reasons. I want to be ahead of the curve of district mandates and initiatives. I want to add my paradiddles, polyrhythms, and odd time signatures to the district pop standards. I want to help set and direct the tone and tempo and trainings and conferences.
But mostly, I want to be a better teacher to help equip my students for their unknown future rhythms and songs.