I must say, I'm quite disappointed in our public education school system. I noticed quite a lot of issues when I was in high school. I was continuously under-challenged while my peers were sometimes over-challenged and not encouraged to try new ways of thinking. We have moved away from encouraging children to be creative and think for themselves, and are pushing them to all think the same way. We are punishing these kids for thinking outside of the box and teaching them that opinions are not really opinions unless they agree with the teacher.

At the heart of this mechanical way of thinking is the controversial “common core” method of teaching math. I have tried to understand and give this a chance, however its methods are contradicting, unnecessary, in-consistent, and patronizing. It was introduced as a way to teach kids to be critical thinkers, however it's causing young children to be more confused than ever. The worst part is that the parents are unable to help their children. The teachers can't even explain to the parents how to help them. I've heard many stories about how a large majority of our teachers don't approve of the method. The sad part, is that even though I researched and researched…. I could not really find anything that really explains how to do this, or even what it really means.

So here we have a new way of learning and teaching math to young children, who's brains are still learning to process information in more complex ways, and we tell them 2+2= 4, but it can also = 7... What the hell. Who is getting paid off to confuse our children? I have been talking to other parents from other schools in an array of different grades and every time it's the same. A subject their children once thrived in is now the epitome of terror. Smart, intelligent straight-A students can no longer comprehend what's being taught to them.

I understand teaching our children to be critical thinkers, but I believe there are different ways to do this. I understand the importance of making sure children are learning the right things at the right times, but extinguishing creativity is counterproductive. REAL research has shown that art and music classes increase IQ and stimulate the brain. It's been proven that children that are involved in the arts are more receptive and generally get better grades. Just google it, or look it up in the library.

So instead of implementing this ridiculous non-concept of common core, why are we not pushing the arts? It seems a much better investment to me.

If a child can learn to read sheet music, don't you think that they would in turn be better at math?

I for one do not enjoy spending three hours a night trying to solve common core math problems with an 8 year old. It's miserable for everyone, he can't understand and I can't understand and apparently the teachers don't understand because they have still yet to send home a book or instructions even though we have asked… Children should not have to go through this. They deserve to have a positive and enjoyable experience at school. This is only going to cause a negative introduction to school that could follow them through the rest of their life.