This is a testimonial from my formal second grade teacher and senior capstone project adviser, Holly Norlin from Soaring Hawk Elementary School:
"I was fortunate enough to have Madison Mooney in my 1st and 2nd grade class, many years ago. With a sparkle in her eye and the warmth and kindness of her spirit, she was always ready to take on anything. Madi is one of those students that have always held a special place in my heart. I was absolutely honored and thrilled, when she came back to Soaring Hawk Elementary and asked me to be her adviser for her senior project on elementary education, as it relates to the Common Core Standards.
I was delighted to have the opportunity of working with Madi again. Because of her interest in possibly pursuing elementary education as her focus in college, Madi's driving question about today’s education was, “Are Common Core State Standards weakening or strengthening education today?” When I first met with Madi, she was already clear on her purpose and asking great questions, many of which I have often wondered about or questioned myself throughout my teaching career. Although I use the Common Core Standards to drive my instruction, I was excited to learn more about how these were developed and was curious about what the reactions were from other teachers. Are they beneficial for teachers/students, do they meet the needs of all learners, and most importantly, are they what is best for children grades K-12? Madi proposed many thoughtful questions about standardized testing as well. She also explored how standardized testing is used to when assessing students, to see if they have reached the expectations of the Common Core Standards.
Madi checked in with me regularly throughout the process of working on her senior project. I withheld my knowledge of and opinions about the Common Core Standards because I wanted Madi to develop her own thoughts, ideas, and opinions through her own work and research. In addition, I learned a great deal myself, from her project, and in the end found myself in complete agreement with her thoughts, feelings, opinions, and ideas about Common Core Standards. It was beneficial for me to gain a deeper understanding of how these were developed, the research behind them, and if they are really strengthening our educational system or weakening it. I fully agree with Madi in that overall, I do believe the Common Core Standards are beneficial, to use as a guide for teachers and students. They ensure that all teachers and students are given access to the same expectations at each grade level. These can however, be quite broad and teachers are left to interpret, find resources, curriculum etc. to teach these standards which might look different at each state, district, and individual school level. I think Madi makes a great point in saying that it would be helpful for teachers to have common resources and staff development to support them in teaching the Common Core Standards. I too, wish that that there was a better way to assess how students meet the Common Core proficiency expectations other than standardized testing that puts a tremendous amount of pressure on both teachers and students. In a perfect world, I wish that these tests would take into consideration, the need to differentiate for all students, especially taking into account our children with learning disabilities or special needs. Instead, I hope that these tests would focus on student growth and progress. It’s unfortunate that so much emphasis is placed on these tests, including additional funding for schools that do well.
I’m so excited for what the future holds for Madison as she moves on to college to further her own education. I am proud her accomplishments and most of all, who she has become as a person. With her demeanor and dedication, I truly believe that Madi will make a wonderful teacher (if she decides to pursue a career in elementary education). For me personally, there is nothing more rewarding than being able to make a difference in the life of a child. I hope that Madi too, will find this to be true, as any child would be lucky to have her as a teacher! Way to go kiddo!!!"
"I was fortunate enough to have Madison Mooney in my 1st and 2nd grade class, many years ago. With a sparkle in her eye and the warmth and kindness of her spirit, she was always ready to take on anything. Madi is one of those students that have always held a special place in my heart. I was absolutely honored and thrilled, when she came back to Soaring Hawk Elementary and asked me to be her adviser for her senior project on elementary education, as it relates to the Common Core Standards.
I was delighted to have the opportunity of working with Madi again. Because of her interest in possibly pursuing elementary education as her focus in college, Madi's driving question about today’s education was, “Are Common Core State Standards weakening or strengthening education today?” When I first met with Madi, she was already clear on her purpose and asking great questions, many of which I have often wondered about or questioned myself throughout my teaching career. Although I use the Common Core Standards to drive my instruction, I was excited to learn more about how these were developed and was curious about what the reactions were from other teachers. Are they beneficial for teachers/students, do they meet the needs of all learners, and most importantly, are they what is best for children grades K-12? Madi proposed many thoughtful questions about standardized testing as well. She also explored how standardized testing is used to when assessing students, to see if they have reached the expectations of the Common Core Standards.
Madi checked in with me regularly throughout the process of working on her senior project. I withheld my knowledge of and opinions about the Common Core Standards because I wanted Madi to develop her own thoughts, ideas, and opinions through her own work and research. In addition, I learned a great deal myself, from her project, and in the end found myself in complete agreement with her thoughts, feelings, opinions, and ideas about Common Core Standards. It was beneficial for me to gain a deeper understanding of how these were developed, the research behind them, and if they are really strengthening our educational system or weakening it. I fully agree with Madi in that overall, I do believe the Common Core Standards are beneficial, to use as a guide for teachers and students. They ensure that all teachers and students are given access to the same expectations at each grade level. These can however, be quite broad and teachers are left to interpret, find resources, curriculum etc. to teach these standards which might look different at each state, district, and individual school level. I think Madi makes a great point in saying that it would be helpful for teachers to have common resources and staff development to support them in teaching the Common Core Standards. I too, wish that that there was a better way to assess how students meet the Common Core proficiency expectations other than standardized testing that puts a tremendous amount of pressure on both teachers and students. In a perfect world, I wish that these tests would take into consideration, the need to differentiate for all students, especially taking into account our children with learning disabilities or special needs. Instead, I hope that these tests would focus on student growth and progress. It’s unfortunate that so much emphasis is placed on these tests, including additional funding for schools that do well.
I’m so excited for what the future holds for Madison as she moves on to college to further her own education. I am proud her accomplishments and most of all, who she has become as a person. With her demeanor and dedication, I truly believe that Madi will make a wonderful teacher (if she decides to pursue a career in elementary education). For me personally, there is nothing more rewarding than being able to make a difference in the life of a child. I hope that Madi too, will find this to be true, as any child would be lucky to have her as a teacher! Way to go kiddo!!!"