The Pyre

Popularity was never my forte. In elementary school , I was a dork. Apparently, wanting to read during recess is a problem. In high school , I was a freak. Better a freak than geek, right? In college , I was invisible. You see, the bar scene wasn’t really baby friendly. So, I figure, why change direction now? I know it’s not the popular sentiment right now. So, I am just going to say it. Common Core State Standards aren’t evil. They aren’t the devil incarnate. But, they also aren’t the answer to all of education’s ills. In the past months, I’ve noticed a considerable increase of anti-CCSS rants on Twitter, Facebook , and even traditional television networks . Many of these rants are authored by intensely dedicated teachers, fueled by their passion for kids. Some of the rants are authored by crazy conservatives who still think Arne Obama personally wrote the standards himself. And I respect these teachers. Not so much the crazies. From what I can tell, the argument

AAC, DOK, SWSCD . . . Oh, My! Well, I gotta be honest: when I saw the job post for “Item Writer,” I wasn’t exactly jumping out of my Chucks in anticipation. However . . . I am a teacher, so pulling in a little extra dough without having to wait tables with my former students did motivate me enough to update the ole resume. So, when I finally accepted the temporary position via CETE in conjunction with DLM , I realized that I had just ruined my chances of wasting my summer away at the pool, drunk on books.  And, frankly, that was my central concern. Just three weeks later, I received my first paycheck.  And, as you may suspect, I’ve already spent most of the money earned pounding out test questions. Nevertheless, I do have some things a bit more enduring than my bank account balance to show for the experience thus far: DLM is creating something that has never, ever, ever been done before, and I am lucky to play a minor role in its  efforts .   Flying a plane while