Dear Representative -----

I am writing to you out of deep concern regarding the Common Core curriculum, specifically related to math that is being taught in my daughter's school.

At the parent/teacher conference I had with my daughter's 8th grade math teacher, he expressed to me the dismay he feels about something that he was being compelled to teach to prepare his students for an upcoming test this Friday, April 4, 2014. He said he is required to teach them about baseball, and the parts of a stadium, and positions. I asked if it was about the geometry of a baseball diamond, or statistics. He answered, no, that it was only about the elements of the stadium and positions. I asked him if this was Common Core curriculum, to which he answered yes, and then further said he was not allowed to discuss it. My head nearly spun! This is my daughter's education, he is her teacher, and as a parent, I want to know what is being taught in my daughter's classrooms.

Today, I have had the chance to ask my daughter about her math class, to follow up on what she was going to learn. The following is some of what she was "taught" in her math class today;

1. They had to learn what each section of seats is called, such as bleachers and box seats.
2. The bases, and then two photographs were presented of home plate, shown from above and then from the side. They had to identify if this was the same place on the field or not.
3. They had to learn each of the positions of the players, and the name of the part of the field their position is in.
4. On more than one question, the students were "led" to answer a certain way. One of the questions was, "What makes a good baseball player?". The instruction to the teacher was, "Make sure the students answer "Know what each part of the field is called", and, "He can throw the ball". Besides which, this is purely subjective.
5. The instructions to the teacher stated that only on some questions were students "permitted" to ask questions.
6. They had to learn about the "fundamentals of baseball', such as what a season ticket holder is, what are errors and home runs, the object of the game, and how you win.
7. Questions were repeated, but worded slightly differently. For example, "What are errors and home runs, and what do they do in a game?". The next question asked, "How do errors and home runs effect the game?".

I have been trying to unravel the mystery of Common Core for several years, and have come to the conclusion it is strictly a tool with which to control the population. The fact that creative writing and literature is going to be slashed to a mere 30% of High School English curriculum, in favor of argumentative writing and textbooks about HVAC is alarming. And that students are being guided to answer and think like lemmings, and not independently is an unacceptable direction in which public schools are headed.

I am a concerned parent who feels that the time for silence has passed, and these laws which are getting passed with no discourse must come to light. The stifling of parental involvement, and open dialogue with teachers is unacceptable.

Thank you for your time, and I truly hope to hear from you regarding this important issue.