The hard work, tears of Common Core are worth it

There’s nothing harder for parents than seeing their children cry. The day I walked in on my 9-year-old daughter crying in frustration over her math homework, it worried me, especially because she has always done so well in her classes. But her schoolwork this year was different, in part because of the changes that came with Common Core.

Like other parents in our district, I’m waiting for the scores from the Common Core-aligned tests to be released in September. I’m wondering what those scores will tell me about how my kids did this past year, the first year when Common Core was fully implemented in California schools.

Education experts have said Common Core sets a higher standard, and after helping my daughter with her math that day last year, I realized how true that was.

The new style of homework asks kids to come up with multiple explanations for how they got their answers. At first my daughter didn’t understand why getting the right answer wasn’t enough. She was frustrated by the additional work, and I didn’t blame her.

But I also don’t blame Common Core – in fact, I welcome the changes. The big picture is probably lost on a little girl just trying to get her math done so she can go play. But Common Core sets a higher bar for students by focusing on real-world skills such as critical thinking and problem solving – skills our kids will need to be successful in college and in their jobs.

That’s the reason the math assignments aren’t just about getting the right answers. By making children explain why the answers are correct, the new homework is helping them learn how to think critically and apply what they’ve learned in new ways.

Another way Common Core improves on the old system is by putting a stronger emphasis on reading and writing. Teachers are asked to focus on literacy skills in all subjects, not just English and language arts. So you might notice that your kids’ math and science homework will include short writing or reading comprehension tasks. This is another change for the better, because many of the best-paying jobs in today’s economy will require our kids to be good writers.

When I first heard about Common Core, I wasn’t sure what the changes would mean for my kids in their everyday lives. Now that my children have finished their first year under the new standards, I’m feeling more confident that any “growing pains” they have as they’re adjusting will pay off in the end.

Since 2010, school districts and teachers across California have been working to integrate Common Core, and find curricula and lesson plans that will help students meet the learning standards. The political leaders in Sacramento and our local school leaders worked together to make this transition as smooth as possible.

I’m a mom of four, and all my kids are in different classes and have different homework assignments. I know firsthand how stressful this kind of adjustment can be for busy families. I think it’s important for parents to keep an open mind and support teachers and school leaders as they work with our kids to meet the new, higher standards.

As with any big change, there are bound to be bumps in the road, whether it’s students unhappy about a new kind of homework exercise, or parents wondering why their kids have writing assignments in science class. But none of the short-term challenges outweigh what our children stand to gain.

When they graduate from high school, I want my kids to have every competitive advantage possible, so they can move on to the jobs they want or get into a good college. It’s worth a few tears over math homework today if my children are getting the kind of education that will help them succeed in the future.

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 2:46 PM with the headline "The hard work, tears of Common Core are worth it."