Hi Everyone-
The Kansas 2016 Legislative Session begins in less than a month on January 11. Now is a good time to be thinking about what you can do and how you can help stop Common Core in Kansas. Will you make calls? Will you knock on doors? Will you have a luncheon with your friends and talk to them about this? Would you like one of us to attend your luncheon (or coffee or presentation or whatever!)? Will you come to the rally when it’s time? Will you commit to bringing three friends with you? Will you submit testimony? Will you give oral testimony? Will you help pack the committee room? What? What are you willing to do to stop this monstrosity in Kansas?
As a side note, remember too that you can opt your kids out of state testing. It’s really easy and you can protect your kids from a small portion of intrusive data collection.
Make sure you know what your kids are studying, what their assignments are, and also, talk with your kids. Give them age-appropriate instructions. For example, I tell my 11 year old that if there is anything about religion (and that includes Christianity in order to keep it simple for him), that I want to know about it. At 11, he has been brought up in the faith and so he can largely point to things Christian, and so if it’s something that looks “strange” to him, he’s to ask the teacher to “check with his mom” before he completes the task.
Make sure to communicate with your kids’ teachers so they know your wishes. I usually say, “If it leaves the building, then he’s not to do it.” Or, I say, “He can do it if you give him pencil and paper, not on his iPad where it can be transmitted anywhere in the world” I know it sounds strange in this day and age, but you must remember that the teacher is there to help you and to help you reinforce your goals for your child, not the other way around. Any teacher worth her salt will take this gentle reminder in good spirit and work to make it happen.
Finally, make sure you follow us on Facebook. Almost everything is there and I admit, I’m not nearly as good at keeping up with this website as I am with our Facebook page. Look us up if you haven’t yet: Kansans Against Common Core. You’ll see the green grass with the apple with a bite taken out of it and know you’re at the right place! You can always email me directly at courtney@kansansagainstcommoncore.com.
Thank you, and “see” you when the session begins!
KACC
Kansans Against Common Core 