Louis CK has been all over the news lately after he took to Twitter to blast the Common Core (a controversial new curriculum that has been adopted by more than 40 states), posting photos of his 3rd grade daughter’s most confusing math problems.
The tweet that started it all:
https://twitter.com/louisck/statuses/460765469746929664
Of course there was quite a Twizzy (See what I did there? Twitter+tizzy? Never mind) over Louis’ comments, with many Tweeters defending the Common Core and some arguing that the comedian should not use his celebrity platform to bash the educational system. Here’s a little recap of Louis’ best comebacks:
Kids teachers parents are vocally suffering. Doesnt that matter? listen to them. Adapt and slow down CCSS. Cool it with the testing
— Louis C.K. (@louisck) May 1, 2014
The test are written to CCSS standards. The teachers are forced to deliver high scores to those tests. Why pretend that cc has zero fault?
— Louis C.K. (@louisck) May 1, 2014
It’s arrogant and hurts the goals of CCSS. CCSS is not perfect. You want to teach kids to think and reason. Try it yourself first.
— Louis C.K. (@louisck) May 1, 2014
And our fave:
my favorite responses have been adults proudly announcing that they were able to solve these problems from a 3rd grade test.
— Louis C.K. (@louisck) May 1, 2014
And finally, resignation:
https://twitter.com/louisck/status/460948591243431936
Yesterday, new (Jewish) mom Regina Spektor added her voice to the mix on Facebook saying:
I’m with Louis on this… It’s wrong to test kids like this. I always had a hard time with standardized tests, but when I was a kid there were less of them and they didn’t run our lives. My mom is a public school teacher (music!!!) and I have watched the tests/days of testing multiply… Most teachers just want to teach! There are many different types of intelligence in the world so there need to be different ways to teach and test concepts… We would do better to teach empathy and spend more time on sports and the arts in schools. Math can be taught creatively too, and not just as scary test preparation… Good luck to all the kids taking this, and to their parents! Remember- this stuff doesn’t define anybody!
If nothing else, Louis deserves credit for being a super hands-on dad and suffering through Common Core with his girls. What do you think of the Common Core? How are your kids handling the new math curriculum?
This old Tom Lehrer song comes to mind:
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