Susan Kimball, an elementary school teacher, testified to the legislature that:
“In a professional development meeting inservice in November and at a faculty meeting in January, we were told in my building, and I quote: ‘Be careful about what you post on Facebook or talk about in public regarding Common Core. Don’t say anything negative. It could affect your job.’
“So even though many teachers were hating the Common Core curriculum, they would not voice their opinon to anyone. So I began speaking out –trying to educate and inform anyone who was willing to listen. When I turned in a personal day request to come to support the rally for House Bill 1490, I was asked by my principal, ‘Do you really want that in your personnel file?’
“And then I was bullied and ostracized by my administration, a few other teachers, and the president of the school board, and that continues today.
” I was denied the use of a personal day to appear here today, so I will lose my much-needed pay for the day. I need my job and I love my kids. But I feel it is that important to get Common Core out of our state…
“We teachers had no say in the Common Core standards being adopted in our school districts… “
“…The lessons are developmentally inappropriate and are not research-based or written by teachers. It has been heart wrenching to watch my students’ frustration… especially when I know better from all of my years of teaching, that this is not appropriate, but I am powerless to do anything.”
The teacher also testified that even her gifted, extremely high-I.Q. student could not possibly do what was being expected of her as a kindergartener in the Common Core curriculum, and neither –of course– could her kindergarten peers.
“We are doing way too much assessing and not enough teaching, especially in the lower grades… I can tell you which of my kids fall where without looking at the data. I don’t need the tests to know what my kids need to know. And the frustration of Common Core for me, is it has taken away all the fun out of learning. The lessons are very boring to a young child. We aren’t able to do what is interesting to our kids…. it’s very frustrating to the teachers and the students.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to face when I go home. That’s why I’m so nervous and it’s so hard for me to speak, because you have no idea what I have been through over the past six weeks of my stand. And the reason I took this stand is because it was right for my kids. They’re my main priority –and I thought it was every teacher’s priority.”
COMMON CORE 
Susan, my heart goes out to you! I am in the same boat at the high school level. We teachers in many cases are the only advocates for our students, because we know the challenges they are facing first-hand.
Reblogged this on Planning 2 Learn – A 4th Grade Teacher and commented:
Wow! The video is tough to watch because you can hear the teacher’s frustration and concern. I haven’t been opposed to the CCSS because I have only been back in the American classroom for the last 3 1/2 years – only 2 of which have been teaching literacy and now math.
Regardless of my thoughts, I am so thankful we live in a country were they conversations occur and there are Senators that listen to the people. I truly hope the teacher can go back to a position where she can enjoy teaching her students.
I still miss the influence of higher education that I felt was apparent in England.
I would really like to hear from them on the CCSS and more.
This is an implementation problem not necessarily a the common core problem. The core standards do not mandate a certain amount of testing. Each state or local district will dictate the amount of testing required. I certainly empathize with this teacher’s frustration. We have many teachers frustrated in Utah with the amount of testing that they have to see their students endure. Much of it began even before the Utah Core Standards were adopted and has only escalated. Much of it has come from the legislature not due to the common core.
I have seen many curriculum issues blamed on the core standards. If we are to have rational discussions about the standards let’s do so, but stick to the core standards not issues not related such as testing and curriculum issues that are not related.