CCRS Rally Speech

I was honored to be asked to speak at today's CCRS Rally, held on the steps of our state's Capitol Building.   I can't express how proud I was to stand among so many other Alabamians who truly value our students' education.   Businesses leaders, teachers, administrators, military families, parents, students, and legislators gathered together with one voice - "Support Our Schools. Support the CCRS!"  It was an incredible experience.  Couldn't be prouder to be an educator in this great state.   

Below is my speech.  Feel free to use any of it to share with your senators and legislators.  

 Melissa Shields
melissa_shields@ecboe.org

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First, I would like to say that as a teacher and a mother, I would be the first to speak up if I felt these standards were not in the best interest of our students and our communities. I am outraged that this movement against them has gained so much momentum....that absurd mistruths and fear tactics have been used to slander our dedicated teachers.   

I challenge you to review our College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS), any grade, either English Language Arts or Math.  You will only find strong 21^st Century standards, standards that ask our students to think, create, argue,  publish…..no more "Sit and Get."  There are no politics, no anti-religious rhetoric, no liberal (or conservative) ideals. 

Until a few months ago, I was reminding our teachers that this is the most exciting time to be a teacher; our schools are the best they have ever been.   Teachers have a voice, and THEY can decide how to best teach their students (contrary to what the opponents say).  We’re using assessments that make sense, ones that will actually help our students receive college scholarships. 

In our math classrooms, students are learning multiple ways solve problems. Our system teacher of the year recently blogged, “My students are becoming well-rounded mathematicians and really great thinkers. They're excited and eager, and the thinking strategies they'reusing are overlapping into other areas of the curriculum. Finally, I feel like I'm doing what's right for students when it comes to teaching math" (click hyperlink to view blog). 

It seems to me we have a semantics issue. We teachers just want to continue implementing the College and Career Ready Standards, which do include, but are not limited to the Common Core standards. No one can argue that these studies are not more rigorous and reflective of 21st Century instruction than the previous from 2003 and 2007.  Know this.  Common Core is not a curriculum or "program" in our state.  We still decide when, what, and how to teach - those elements make a curriculum.  I promise you this: if the government ever tries to tell us what and how to teach our students, you'll be hearing my voice from every rooftop.  I wouldn't have it, and I speak for every teacher I know. 

From my experience, CCRS opponents DO NOT understand the nature of curricula and courses of study. They have NOT visited public school classrooms to see the standards being taught.  They WILL NOT have a discussion with public school teachers (Believe me, I have tried).  Essentially, they have NO IDEA what's happening in our great schools.   On the contrary, those you see here today and the thousands of teachers changing lives at this very moment have devoted their lives to educating Alabama's students. That is our only agenda.   Why would we support these standards if we didn't believe in them....if we didn’t know they could transform our classrooms and better prepare our students?

My daughter  is a thriving Advanced Placement student in her small, rural high school.   Our students have been taught Common Core standards for years in our Math and English Advanced Placement and Pre-AP (LTF) courses, as the Common Core standards are aligned to Advanced Placement.  The AP Literature course we teach here in Alabama is the same AP Literature course in the most elite private schools in the country.  They follow the SAME STANDARDS. Currently, Alabama is ranked #1 in Math, Science, and English AP growth. 

I've received numerous emails and calls from our teachers, wanting to know how they can stop this madness.  Until last week, I think most of our teachers did not take these bills seriously because honestly, the claims are so far-reaching and ridiculous, it's hard for them to believe that anyone, especially our elected officials, would take these accusations to heart.   

I leave with this....We also want to preserve the conservative ideals of our state, but we vehemently disagree that our College and Career Ready Standards deter from them. My gut tells me the truth will prevail (as we teach our students), and our elected officials will place their faith in us.  I pray they prove me right.