Today’s ELA Common Core training was basically a trick. One big magic trick. They’ve given us the standards and pacing guides. They’ve showed us how to unpack them. They’ve showed sample units and informed us of increasing text complexity. But, now: They want us to create thematic units for all objectives. Units they can put on our county portal and display for all teachers to use next year. Units without our names credited. They ended the session by puffing on and on about how we’re “lead teachers who have been chosen by the county to get this work done” — they threw in some other brainwashing, but I tuned out. 

Smart. Smart county. They’ve done this just for the cost of paying for our substitutes throughout this training process. They’ll slap this work up and, undoubtedly, brag about how well-prepared our county is to merge Common Core. Smart. Smart county.

I’ll tell you why I was chosen: because I’m a good teacher. I’ll tell you why I’m a good teacher: because I have the innate ability to BS at the drop of a hat. 

They handed us Unit 5: The Foundation of Argument. My two teammates stared at me. In less than 15 minutes, I mapped out a skeleton plan starting with basic articles about the push to “Go Green” in our country. Snaking into articles about recycling and green energy. Each article progressing from one side of the argument to articles presenting pros and cons. Ending in a collaborative project where students research and present a plan to the School Board that would be incorporated into our schools to help them be more “environmentally friendly” [and help the budget!] If I’m going to be exploited for my mind - I might as well show it off. 

To top off the “guinea pig”-ing for the day:

A group is coming for another local middle school to observe how I do Guided Reading in my classroom. This stuff gets a little old sometimes.