Last week I had an interview with another major educational website to talk about my book series, Moore’s Common Core Teacher Guides. Before the interview, they sent me a list of questions to address during the interview. One of them went something like this:
“Give 2 or 3 tips to transitioning to the CCSS.”
Wow! What a questions! That’s almost like asking, “Name 2 or 3 influential TV programs.”
So, I though and thought.
And here is what I said, roughly.
- Read, Understand, and Re-Read
Read through your given grade level’s standards. All the way though. Keep a Hi-Lighter handy. Scribble, hi-light, and take notes. Read to understand. If something isn’t clear, look it up or ask questions. Many states have websites devoted to explaining what they say. I work on one of the committees here in Ohio. (I will post the websites in the next blog)Make sure you understand what you have read. Then re-read.
- Don’t panic.
Take a deep breath. Relax. Think of CCSS as yard sticks to measure student achievement. Most state will soon have the same size stick! That is a new concept for the US. It may not be perfect, but my Ohio stick is the same as a stick in Hawaii. When I Skype with a group of teachers in Maine, I can talk about specific seventh grade standards that we share (and probably have the same issues with).
Change is hard, and scary, and weird. Troubling and stressful. But change is constant.
