A Student Slams Common Core

Finding a student who criticizes his school or teachers is not the most difficult task under the sun.  Finding one who has a perfect grasp of the disaster that is Common Core State Standards and can articulate it so that even School Board members can understand it is a bit more of a challenge  however.  (Although, I might add that the latter is becoming easier as CCSS continues to be implemented.)

Nonetheless, it is still rare enough to be news and this past week saw a video of one such student, Kenneth Ye of Knox County, TN, gathering quite a bit of attention.  His skewering of Common Core was about as articulate and damning as any adult could have provided.

One point Kenneth made was that Common Core is forcing American Education to become more and more similar to the Chinese system, which for its excellence in turning out standardized factory workers, does not excel at producing students who can innovate and think for themselves.  This is something about which  America used to be able to boast but lately seems to be anathema to those in power.  Mr. Ye, by the way, should know.  He began as a student in Chinese schools and knows the difference first hand!

Do  You Have a Hyperactive Kid?

Some of you may recall an article posted here back in March (Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese Causes Hyperactivity? Oh, no!!) regarding the possibility that certain food colorings can cause a host of problems for some people.  Our attention has once again been drawn to the subject by an alert reader.

Then it was the venerable and much loved Kraft Maroni and Cheese packaged meals that came under scrutiny.  Now it’s even more terrifying:  M&Ms may be doing us in!  It has been revealed that these icons of American candydom are painted with petroleum based dyes.  Yechh!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have estimated that as of 2011 upward of 11% of American Children have been diagnosed with ADHD and the number seems to be trending upward.  These are not data to be taken lightly and there is a growing effort by American moms to do something about it.  One of these Moms is Renée Shutters who has the personal experience to back up her concerns.  The good part of her story is that in the case of her own child’s suffering she was able to find relief by eliminating foods that sported the brilliant colors of certain dyes.  She feels so strongly about this that she has launched a petition to convince American food manufacturers to convert from petroleum based dyes to more natural vegetable based substitutes.

To learn more and perhaps sign her petition visit this link:  https://www.change.org/MMsDyes