Editor's note: This post originally appeared in a slightly different form in The Tennessean.
My name is Karen Vogelsang, and I am the 2014–15 Tennessee Teacher of the Year. I am a supporter of the Common Core State Standards, which we have adopted as our own state standards and which are taught in classrooms across the state. I am ill at the thought that these standards could be repealed.
As Tennesseans, we sought Race to the Top funds to make sweeping changes—not only to benefit our state but, more importantly, to benefit our students.
We have data showing that our students are performing at a rate faster than any other state in the nation. We (Tennesseans, not the federal government) made decisions about how the standards would be implemented and how our educators would be trained.
As educators, we have received top-quality training from experts in the fields of math and reading, and Tennessee is the only state that has provided consistent, focused training in the standards from the state’s Department of Education on down. No one has mandated the curriculum or instructional practices teachers use in their classrooms, and districts have selected the materials they want to use to best support their students.
Critical thinking skills prevail
When I began my career as a teacher, my focus was teaching a skill so my students could pass a test. If they did, I figured I was doing a good job. I would ask questions; a student would answer correctly; I replied, “Good job”; and the class moved on.
But what did I really know about what my student understood? The beauty of the standards is that they allow teachers and students the opportunity to delve deeply into concepts. If students truly understand concepts, they’re able to apply that knowledge when needed.
I serve students in a Title I school in urban Memphis; poverty is the norm for many, and education isn’t always the priority at home. Regardless, as a result of the training I’ve received, my classroom today is student-centered.
Students are engaged in discussions, providing justifications for solutions to math problems or citing evidence to support answers to text-dependent questions. I have very high expectations of my students regardless of their background. It’s my job to meet them where they are and guide their growth. The standards have provided that guidance and helped me create an environment where students are using the higher-level thinking skills needed to be college- and career-ready; and I expect them to be college- and career-ready!
Push students’ thinking
High expectations and rigorous standards can make a difference for all students. Angelo entered my third-grade class last year performing below grade level. He dragged in school, unmotivated about anything to do with academics, but it soon became clear that he had enormous potential, especially in math.
When he solved problems, I pushed his thinking by expecting him to justify his solutions. When he saw my excitement, he wanted more—and he got it. He had gaps to fill in language arts, but the process of challenging him has allowed Angelo to emerge as an intrinsically motivated student. Today, he is one of my top students in the fourth grade. He has a long road ahead of him, as many of my students do, but a student-centered environment with high expectations and rigorous standards has made an impact.
We cannot turn back now. Yes, there have been some growing pains; but to reverse course at this point would be a huge mistake. Teachers have received and will continue to receive training, but it takes time to learn and implement a methodology representing the most sweeping reforms in education history.
Districts have selected curricula that will meet the rigorous demands of the standards and provide new opportunities for our students, preparing them for a successful future in Tennessee. We are barely a year away from having our standards aligned to curriculum and assessment.
My hope is that the review process of the standards that Governor Haslam has put in place will be allowed to run its course without any legislative action this session. We have invested countless hours and millions of dollars up to this point. Let’s see this through. If we do, I truly believe that we will continue to see unprecedented growth for our students. They deserve it.
Karen Vogelsang, NBCT, is a fourth-grade teacher at Keystone Elementary in Memphis and was named the 2014–15 Tennessee Teacher of the Year.
